The Subtlety of Life Changing Events
by Deans Darling
Summary: Ginny Weasley left England and her past behind her. But at least part of her past comes back to find her and sets her feet on the path of romance. AU. Mentions of Slash.
1. Chapter 1

The characters in this story belong to J

**The characters in this story belong to J.K. Rowling and company. No money is being made, just fun.**

**A/N: Romance, both Het and Slash. Fluff alert.**

**The Subtlety of Life Changing Events**

By: Deans Darling

Chapter One

"Well, as I live and breathe, it's the Weaslette."

Ginny Weasley looked up from her stack of books and stared dumbfounded into the silver eyes of Draco Malfoy. For a moment she was speechless. The chance of running into someone from her past, here, of all places, was almost impossibe. To her complete credit, she recovered quickly. She leaned back in her chair and looked at him with furrowed brows.

"Draco Malfoy, how on earth – what are you doing here?"

He pulled a chair out from the library table and sat. "Yes, thank you for offering. I'd love to sit down." He looked at her and smirked. "Well, are you ready to go?"

She sputtered. "Wha – Malfoy, what are you on about?"

He leaned across the table. "You, me, dinner, wine, dancing – what do you think?"

She studied him for a moment, then turned back to her books. "Why?"

"Because; a lot of reasons. So, what do you say?"

She smiled. "Well, if only to get an answer to the question, 'What are you doing in the States?' you're on. Give me a minute." Ginny began gathering her class books and stuffed them into her backpack. When she started to shoulder her bag, Draco reached for the straps and took it from her, slung it over his left shoulder, and held out an arm for her to take.

She studied him for a moment, then weaved her arm through his, and the two of them left the university library.

"So, Red, how have you been?"

"As well as can be expected, I suppose. I'm finding that my English class is a pain; as if Americans have any business teaching anything about the English language. Still, I suppose it must be done."

Draco looked at her and smirked. "That's not what I'm talking about and you know it."

She stopped walking and looked back at him. "Why do you care?"

He shrugged "Can you not just accept the fact that I do?"

"No. You never cared anything about me before. In fact, you went out of your way to make sure that I was miserable."

He grimaced a bit. "Childhood misconceptions, I assure you. Now, answer the question."

She shrugged and looked at the ground as they walked. "I'm getting by."

He nodded. "I see. And is 'getting by' good enough for you?"

"Well, at the moment, it's all I've got, now, isn't it? Look, Malfoy, I don't know what you're playing at, but I'm not in the mood to put up with your nonsense."

"No nonsense, I assure you. Here's my car." He touched the button on his keys and the trunk flew open. He tossed her bag in the back and slammed it again, then came back around and opened the door for her. He waited for her to get her seatbelt settled before he spoke again. "All tucked in, Red?" At her nod, he closed the door and got in on the drivers side.

He fastened the seat belt, then looked at her. "Giovoni's?"

She laughed, "You go to Gio's? Seems a little too – I don't know – earthy, for you."

He smirked. "You would think so, wouldn't you? But good pizza is good pizza, so I'm willing to go slumming."

"You mean like being seen in the company of a Weasley?"

He frowned. "No, that's not what I meant at all. You really have to get over this inferiority complex, you know."

"Inferiority complex? No, more like – utter amazement that you would be seen _talking_ to me rather than hurling insults. That's more your style, isn't it?"

He shrugged. "That's a fair assessment from your point of view, I suppose. But Ginny, people change; they grow up and learn from their mistakes. Even Malfoys."

She studied him then pursed her lips. "I'm sorry, Draco. Please, forgive my rudeness."

He smiled again. "Not at all. Gio's?"

Her smile brightened. "Gio's."

He pulled the red Lamborghini into the flow of traffic. She studied him and shook her head.

Draco caught the movement out of the corner of his eye and smirked. "What?"

"Oh, nothing, really. Just that I am continually amazed at life's little quirks."

"So, I'm a quirk, am I?"

Her giggle was light hearted. "Yes, very quirky. Can I ask you a question?"

"Fire."

"Why are you in the States, in the middle of a Muggle campus, in Ohio?"

"Traveling, searching for – something."

"What are you searching for?"

"Gio's."

She looked up and was surprised to see that they were pulling into the parking lot of Giovoni's Pizzeria. "That was quick. What is this thing, the new knight bus or something?"

"Nah, that's just what happens when you have stimulating conversation."

"Uhhuh, sure it is."

"What, you don't believe me?"

"About as far as I can throw you."

He put his hand to his chest and sucked air through his lips in mock pain. "Oooh, now that hurt. Shall we?"

At her nod, he got out of the vehicle and ran around to open her door for her. He took her hand to help her out of the car, then kept hold of it and weaved her arm through his as they walked up the sidewalk to the quaint little restaurant.

"Do you want to sit inside or outside?"

"It's a beautiful night. Let's sit out here. From the sounds of it, we wouldn't be able to do much talking inside. It's pretty loud."

"Outside it is, then." He pulled out a wrought iron chair for her and she sat at the plastic red and white checked table cloth. She brushed the crumbs away from the previous occupants and looked at her date.

Draco had chosen the chair closest to her and scooted it even closer. "So, Red, are you enjoying uni?"

"It's okay, I guess. I need to decide what I want to be when I grow up."

"Uh huh, I see. "

"I've been wrestling with a lot of different ideas. Nothing seems to strike my fancy, really. Right now, it's just something to do. I am leaning toward one thing, but at the rate I'm going, it's going to take me twenty years to get through it all."

Draco studied her and looked a bit nervous. With a deep breath, he squared his shoulders as if getting ready to do something that he dreaded.

She studied him curiously and furrowed her eyebrows. "What's going on, Malfoy?"

He sighed and looked at her a bit fearfully. "How about I help you."

She leaned back with a smile. "Oh, yeah? Tell me, Malfoy, what do you have in mind?"

He stared at his folded hands. He took a nervous deep breath, then looked at his hands again.

She looked at him in confusion. "Okay, let's hear it. What's going on?"

He sighed and looked sheepishly at her. "Marry me. Be Mrs. Draco Malfoy."

She stared at him, dumbfounded for a moment, then broke into a smile. The smile quickly turned into a laugh. "Oh, Malfoy, you had me going there for a minute. I thought you were serious."

He looked at her, face straight, and let her continue laughing. It toned down to a giggle and she looked at him. Suddenly, she took in his unsmiling visage and his pointed stare. Still smiling, she looked at him curiously. "What? You can't honestly mean it! Malfoy?"

Again he folded his hands on the table top and stared at them. "I'm in a – situation." He looked up at her. "A very difficult situation."

She leaned back just as the waitress came. "What'll ya have?"

Ginny was staring at Draco, so he ordered. "We'll have a 'Tower'. I'll have a Coke. Ginny?"

"Um. A Diet Coke."

They watched the waitress leave, then she turned back to Draco, shaking her head. "Did you just propose to me? Really?"

He nodded, and she noticed the slight blush to his cheeks. "Really."

"But – why? What situation are you in that would have you proposing to someone that you barely tolerated for so long, and haven't seen in years? And I want the whole story, Draco, not just some bits and pieces of it that you think I need to know. From the beginning, please."

"All right. You deserve to know what you are getting into." He took a deep breath to calm his nerves, then started. "When I was two years old, my father betrothed me to Pansy Parkinson."

She shuddered; he smirked.

"In the piles of paperwork that went along with the betrothal, he tied up my family fortune in the fact that I would be married by the time I was twenty-five. However, he neglected to mention Pansy's name in any of the pertinent sections of the betrothal. My father was really rather brilliant. All the legal jargon of the betrothal actually made no promises to anyone that a marriage to Pansy would actually happen. In other words, he gave me an out, but it was up to me and my lawyers to find it. They did. The Parkinsons thought that they were getting their hands on Malfoy assets. What actually happened was that I have to marry a pure blood witch – of MY choosing.

During his explanation, he had started staring at his hands again. When he finished his story, he looked up at her and smiled sheepishly again. "Um, I choose you – if you'll have me."

"What about Pansy? Doesn't she want to marry you?"

"Yes, she does. It's me that doesn't want to marry her. I've found the loop hole that my father hid in the betrothal agreement, and I mean to exercise it. The only problem is that my father has indicated that, if I don't marry a pure blood witch, all assets will revert to Rathmason Malfoy."

"Rathmason?"

"A cousin. I've never met him. He could be the nicest bloke on the planet but that doesn't mean that I want him to inherit all of my money."

"I see. So, if I am hearing this right, you _want_ me to marry you for money."

"Essentially, yes, I do. Sounds weird, doesn't it?"

She looked at him and shook her head. The waitress placed their pizza in front of them and left. Draco grabbed a plate, and put a piece of pizza on it, and set it in front of her. She looked again at him again as he did the same for himself.

Just as he took a bite, she asked, "Why me?"

He chewed quickly and swallowed. "You underestimate yourself, Ginny. You are beautiful, smart, witty – I could go on, but I don't want you to get a big head." The last he said with a smirk.

"Harry didn't seem to agree with you."

"Yeah, well, Potter is a complete and utter idiot."

"Well, now, there, I would have to agree with you."

He looked at her curiously. "So why did you leave England, Ginny?"

She sighed. "Harry just seemed to be everywhere. I had to get away."

He nodded his head in total understanding. "Like I said, smart."

She got a glimmer in her eye. "Draco, if I marry you, can we have a huge wedding? I mean, one to rub in Harry's face; something to let him know just what he gave up."

Draco's smile widened. "Absolutely! I'd like nothing better. We'll have to make sure we invite him."

"And my family too? Especially the ones who think Harry Potter can do no wrong?"

Draco grinned. "Does this mean you are considering it?"

She looked at him. "The last time I married, I married for love. We both know how that turned out." She sighed, then smiled. "Why not? This time I'm going in with my eyes wide open. I know you don't love me and I don't love you. I suppose we can be friends though, can't we?"

"Ginny, this may be a marriage of convenience, but in time, I hope it _can_ be real. I want to fall in love, and have children and, as hokey as it sounds, I want to teach them things they need to know. I want to bounce them on my knee."

She looked amused. "You want children?"

His brows furrowed. "I didn't think that would be a problem for you."

"It isn't. Harry wanted children too, but he was always too busy, or too tired, or just too stupid to know how to do it."

Draco leaned back. "So, Potter didn't…?"

"No, he didn't. Not much, anyway. Draco, I loved him so much and he…." Then she thought about what she was going to say and shook her head. She stared into Draco's eyes. "Draco, will you promise me something?"

He took her hand and kissed it. "Anything; if it's in my power to do it, I will."

"I want to know what it's like to be – wanted, I guess. I want to feel like I am the most important person in the world to you. At least once. I know this marriage is a…."

Draco squeezed her hand. "Ginny, like I said, this marriage could be wonderful. We could have a storybook wedding and a romance novel marriage. There was a reason that I came all the way to the colonies. I was looking for you. It took me a while to find you, too. I expected you to be in New York or California or Hawaii – but Ohio?"

She giggled. "And what, exactly, is wrong with Ohio?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all. Your pizza is getting cold."

"I like Ohio."

"You'll like Malfoy Manor, better." His voice was a husky whisper when he brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. "I will make you another promise, Genevra Weasley. You will know what it is like to be cherished and doted on. You will lack for nothing, either mentally, spiritually, or physically, if you want it." He turned her hand, and gently kissed the center of her palm. "In fact…." His silver eyes bore into her and seemed to devour her. He leaned closer and gently cupped her cheek, caressing it with his thumb. He studied her half closed eyes momentarily and then leaned closer and took her lips.

He reveled in her immediate response, and deepened the kiss. Suddenly, neither of them remembered they were among other diners. When they pulled away, Ginny looked at him and smiled softly. She didn't say anything, but awe was written all over her face.

He caressed her face again, then kissed her forehead. "Okay, then. This could be very – interesting." His voice was husky and he cleared his throat, having been taken by surprise by the intensity of the simple kiss.

Ginny leaned her forehead against his. "I haven't been kissed like that – ever. That was nice, Draco."

He smiled, then stood, moving his chair out of the way. Then, to her surprise, he got down on one knee and took her hand. "Ginny, we don't know each other very well and most of what we do know hasn't been pleasant for you. What you don't know is that I have longed for you for years. I never approached you because I thought that your brothers would kill me. Then you married Potter. Now that you are free again, can you see it in your heart to marry me? I know that we are going about this backwards, but I'm on a time limit. It's my fault, of course. I was intimidated by the thought that you would laugh in my face." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring box, took the ring out, and smiled up at her. "Please say yes, Ginny."

She pursed her lips, and had tears in her eyes, as she looked at Draco. Then she smiled and nodded. "Yes, Draco, I'll marry you. That is, as long as you understand that, because of this time limit I'm allowing this to go backwards. But I want to date; I want to get to know you better. As far as anything physical – well – let's just play it by ear, shall we?"

He nodded and took her hand and placed the ring on her finger. Ginny looked at it in awe. It was a simple design of gold and silver strands intertwined and encrusted with diamonds.

"Draco, it's beautiful."

He got off his knee and returned to his chair. Then he just looked at her and smiled. "It appears, Red, that we are off on an adventure."

She cupped his cheek and smiled. "Yes, we are. So when do you want to do this?"

He grimaced slightly. "Unfortunately, as soon as possible. My birthday is in a few weeks and I have to be married before that."

"Hmm, and I'm assuming that we will need to go back home?"

"Temporarily. If you want to come back here and finish up Uni, then we can do that. We can buy a house close to campus and we can stay here as long as you need to."

"You wouldn't mind living here?"

The twinkle in his eyes was almost comical. "No, this is a whole new country that I can terrorize." He grinned at her as she rolled her eyes.

"And you would support me in my schooling?"

"Absolutely. What are you majoring in, anyway? You said that you weren't sure, but you must have some sort of idea."

"Muggle medicine – I think. Like I said, I'm not sure what I want to be when I grow up."

Draco leaned back and smiled at her. "So, you think you want to be a doctor?"

She shook her head. "Not necessarily; I'm still trying to decide that. But in the mean time, I am taking basic courses that I need no matter what I major in."

"So, you've just started?"

She nodded. "I've been working at an office, earning money to pay for classes. I can only afford to take two classes this quarter."

"I can pay for your classes, Red, that's no problem. The problem is that, in order to do this, we only have a couple of weeks. You will have to withdraw for this quarter."

She nodded and smirked. "I'd say thank goodness, I need the rest, but this is going to be anything but restful. In fact, I think this is going to be a whirlwind."

Draco nodded. "Pretty much, yeah."

She sighed. "Well – I guess we need to keep up our strength. The pizza is getting cold." She took a bite and smiled. "Umm, does pizza always taste better with an engagement ring on your finger?"

Draco cracked up. "Always, Red, always."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

After they finished, they went to Ginny's tiny apartment. It was a studio flat, but it was neat. She hung her backpack on a hook on the wall as Draco looked around. She giggled, "So, do you want the grand tour?"

"I don't know if I have the endurance to see the whole thing at once."

Her smile was bright. "Cheeky. Do you want a soda, Draco?"

"Thanks."

"Have a seat. Oh, there's pen and paper on the bookshelf over there."

He looked at the tiny built in book shelf and grabbed several sheets of paper and a couple of pens.

Ginny brought a couple of bottles of Coke to the table and sat down. "Your birthday is in June, right?"

Draco looked at her in amazement. "How'd you know that?"

She grinned. "Simple deduction, my dear Watson. You need to be married in a couple of weeks, before your birthday, and this is the middle of May."

He shook his head and laughed. "Of course. Here I thought I was getting another Trelawney."

She frowned. "You ask me to marry you, and then you insult me. We're going to have to work on your social graces."

He chuckled as she scooted closer. When she did, her long hair brushed his arm. He smoothed it back behind her ear, then leaned in and kissed her cheek.

Ginny, never being one to miss an opportunity, turned her face to him and kissed him back. Then she giggled and whispered against his lips. "What's first? Invitations I would guess."

Draco looked sheepish. "Well, you see, I've already had the invitations printed up. All we will need to do is a little magical enhancement to include the date and we're off."

She looked at him and smirked. "Awfully sure of yourself – and me, for that matter."

"No, not really. I had them printed up knowing that we would be on a tight schedule. I figured if you didn't go for it, it was just money lost. It's that much less money that my cousin will get his hands on – so no problem."

She shook her head and laughed. "Okay then, invitation list."

"I have a partial list already done. You just need to add…you know, Gin, let's just leave for the Manor. We can withdraw you from Uni long distance."

She shook her head in disbelief. "What ever you want, Draco. I'm up for it."

"Let's just take the 'Wizards Emergency Transport. That's one thing that the colonies have over Britain – The W.E.T. Transport goes over water."

"Just out of curiosity, Draco, how long have you been here?"

"Couple of months, actually, but I've been here before, of course."

"Of course."

"I was beginning to despair of ever finding you. I did all manner of Detection Spells and Search Spells. I even did the Bloodhound Spell."

"Okay, that's one I've never heard of."

"Well, it's similar to the Point Me Spell, except that you have to use something that belongs to the person you are looking for – like you would with a bloodhound. It also goes for a longer distance – a much longer distance, actually."

Ginny now looked confused. "What could you possibly have of mine?"

"Let's go to the Manor and I'll show you."

"I'm beginning to feel like a stalking victim."

Draco tilted his head and looked at her seriously. "Of course you are. Although, I don't think 'victim' is precisely the right word. It would be more like a prize. Yeah, prize is good. You should always be treated like a prize, Ginny."

She smiled and cupped his cheek. She didn't comment but he could see the sparkle in her eye.

He leaned in and kissed her forehead. "Is there anything you want to take with you, Red?"

"Yes, I have to pack my clothes, my computer, my – oh my gosh, what am I going to need?"

"Relax, Red, we are going to go shopping anyway. Will you allow me to buy you a few things? You know, as a wedding gift."

"Well, I suppose that will be all right. After all, I am going to be Mrs. Draco Malfoy. I might as well look the part. But I will tell you, Draco, most of the time I will be in jeans."

He grinned. "You'll be a societal scandal. I love it! Who knows, you may even start a new trend among the rich and infamous." Then they looked at each other and laughed. They both echoed each other. "Nah."

She giggled. "Let me grab a few things then. I'll be ready shortly."

"Can I help?"

"Sure. You'll find a small bag in that closet over there. Grab my toiletries if you would."

While Draco did as she requested, she grabbed several pairs of jeans and blouses and her favorite baseball cap. A few sets of undergarments, including the sexy black lace set that she never got the chance to wear.

For the most part, she kept moving, not wanting to give herself a chance to think about what she was doing. After a few minutes she smiled. "I think that's all I'll need. But I need to tell Katie what's going on. She'll kill me if I just up and leave. Can you give me a couple of minutes?"

"Sure thing. Take all the time you need."

She phoned her friend and let her know what was going on. It took her fifteen minutes to get her off the phone and another twenty minutes to get her to let them leave the apartment after she Apparated in.

Just as she was leaving, she looked at Draco. "It was very nice to meet you, Draco." Then she walked up to him and poked his chest. "You. Be. Good. To. Her. You got me?"

He grinned and rubbed his chest. "Wouldn't think of anything less."

She looked disgusted. "Yeah, well, Harry Potter really did a number on her."

Draco took Katie's hand and lightly kissed her cheek. "You have my word. Ginny will be treated better than she can ever imagine."

She turned and looked at Ginny and nodded her head toward Draco. "He's a charmer, all right. So, I'll expect an invitation."

"Invitation, nothing – you're my maid of honor. I'll get back to you with the details."

"Me? Maid of honor? Fantastic. I'll tell the others. You better go." She hugged Ginny and Apparated out.

"She'll let everyone else know. So, I guess I'm ready."

Draco nodded and took her bag from her, Apparated them both to the street, and raised his wand in the air.

With a pop of displaced air, the 'Wizards Emergency Transport' suddenly appeared.

It was a long limousine, black with tinted windows. Inside, it was set with elegant black easy chairs, plush carpet and a wet bar.

"Wow! I never expected this."

Draco waved his wand twice over a box, then spoke to the driver. "Malfoy Manor, Wiltshire England, if you please." He then sat down in a seat next to his fiancé and smiled at her. "Pretty nice, huh?"

"It has the Knight Bus beat."

He snorted. "Traveling by donkey would have the Knight Bus beat."

She sighed. "Harry liked the Knight Bus."

Draco pursed his lips and looked at her. "You're still in love with him, aren't you?"

She thought for a minute then shook her head. "I really don't know, Draco. It is just so recent that I'm having a difficult time getting over it. I never thought he was capable of treating me like that. I mean, come on, this is Harry Potter, savior of the wizarding world, hero, yada, yada, yada. I guess I was hung up on the celebrity. But he was just as bad. He married me because – come to think of it, I don't know why he married me. I was his best mate's sister. We'd been seeing each other since before Voldemort. I think he did it because it was expected."

"OK, so you married him. What happened after that?"

She got a far away look in her eye for a moment, then sighed. "Well, I never felt that he wanted to be there, even at the wedding. There was a sense of sadness on his part that never went away. Oh, he smiled and posed and went through all the motions, but his heart wasn't in it." She shook her head. "Our wedding night was a disaster."

Draco smirked. "Tell me."

She smirked right back. "You're enjoying this entirely too much, I think."

He shrugged. "Too true. Go on."

"All right. Our first night together was not much fun, really. It was almost like he didn't know how. He was nervous or something. It was almost like having sex was a necessary chore; one that you didn't want to do and that you put off till the last minute. Me, on the other hand, I was almost too eager. In our entire relationship, it seemed that our physical encounters consisted of him resisting and me trying harder and harder to get his attention. It caused a lot of tension and was probably the biggest reason that I divorced him. I guess I just didn't excite him. He said I was too clingy."

Draco looked outraged. "You know, despite my inherent dislike of him, I always thought that he had a brain in his head. I guess even I can be wrong." He grinned at Ginny, then he chuckled. "I promise you, Ginny, that that part of our relationship will not be lacking, at least if you want it that way."

She tilted her head and looked at him curiously. "You don't mind clingy?"

"Ginny, I have the distinct feeling that you may have come off as clingy, simply because he wasn't paying any attention to you, and you were trying to get his attention. I know I felt that way about Pansy." He shook his head. "Pansy was bound and determined to get my attention and I just wanted her to go away. I tried being mean, I tried ignoring her, I tried yelling at her, nothing would make her leave. Coming from another bloke's point of view, it sounds like Potter simply didn't want to be with you. No accounting for taste."

"Yeah, I finally came to that conclusion. The last year of our marriage, I left his bedroom and went to my own. He didn't even try to stop me."

"So, that begs the question, Ginny, of why you are still in love with him?"

She thought for a minute, then looked at Draco, who was waiting patiently for an answer. "I think – I think that I am in love with the idea of Harry Potter. Does that make sense?"

Draco nodded. "Perfect sense."

Ginny's eyes got wide. "Merlin! I was a fan girl."

Draco cracked up. "Well, yeah, Gin, you were. But what are you now?"

"Someone with my eyes wide open, I suppose."

He took her hand. "You are also smart, witty, beautiful, and not as clingy as you believe you are. Potter messed with your head; whether it was intentional or not, I don't know, but he made you believe things about yourself that were a 180 degrees from the truth. I look forward to letting you know just how wrong he was about you – and how wrong you are about yourself." He leaned over and kissed her.

Ginny deepened the kiss. "Thank you, Draco, you have made me feel better about all of this than anyone else has. It almost seems that even my family was more in Harry's camp than mine. I came off as the one that ruined the marriage. Ron barely talks to me. That is, everyone except Charlie. He was all for me leaving Harry. He was more supportive than any of them."

"Hmm, a Weasley that doesn't sing the praises of Potter. I'd like to get to know him better."

She laughed. "You will."

A metallic sounding voice came over into the passenger area. "Mr. Malfoy, we are leaving land now."

There were a couple of bumps and they got a bit shaken as the vehicle changed into a water going vessel. Then the ride became smooth again.

"Well, that wasn't too bad." He noticed Ginny's hands digging into the plush leather armrest and reached over to take her hand. "I promise, Ginny, we're fine."

She nodded and relaxed, if only a bit.

"Ginny, why don't you put the chair back and get some sleep? I know you must be tired."

"I am a bit. Maybe I'll just rest my eyes a little."

He reached under the seat and pulled out a folded blanket and arranged it over her. "There, all comfy?"

She nodded and he allowed her to settle back and close her eyes. He reached over and took her hand and absently drew circles on the back of it as she settled in to sleep.

She lay there quiet for a long while, reveling in the attention Draco was lavishing on her, despite the fact that he thought she was sleeping.

The next thing either of them knew, they were being shaken awake by the driver. "Malfoy Manor, sir."

They both blinked several times, then began gathering their belongings. Before he even got out of the vehicle, a tall man, dressed in a tuxedo, was standing at the five step rise to the front door. Draco got out and handed Ginny out. As they did that, a blast of wind and rain hit them full on and they ran up the front steps and in the front door, which the butler had held open for them.

"Welcome home, Sir, Miss."

"Thank you, Marque. Ginny, may I present Marque. He is my man's man."

"Hello, Marque, it is very nice to meet you."

"And you Miss. Sir, would you like tea?"

Draco looked at Ginny in question.

"I'd rather have coffee, if you don't mind."

"Coffee, Marque, if you would please, in the study."

"Very good, sir." They watched the stately man for only moment as he moved away.

Then Draco placed a hand in the small of her back and led her towards the back of the Manor and opened the door for her. "I'll give you the tour in a bit. Right now, I have something I want to show you." He indicated a seat for her to take and went to a book shelf and took out a box. He sat next to Ginny and opened the box. "This is a sample of the invitations. All we have to do is give it a date and the lot of them will be ready to go.

"These are beautiful, Draco. So what date do you want to set?"

Draco Accio'ed a calendar and laid it in front of her. He circled the weeks that they had available with his finger. "This is the time period we are working with. My birthday is on the sixth of June, today is the fifteenth of May."

"Hmm, it really depends on if we can get the church, the caterer and…"

"Ginny, it will all work out."

She looked at the calendar again. "Friday June third, 7:30 pm. That will give us the entire weekend to rest up from what we are going to put ourselves through for the next two weeks."

"Done. June third, 7:30 pm." He tapped the invitation and the date and time appeared. They will all be updated to read the same as this sample now. All we have to do is get your list and we can get these out."

She hid her yawn behind her hand and nodded. "Ok, I'll get to work on that." She took a sip of the coffee that had appeared on the desk. "I'm sorry, Draco, the time difference is a bit much right now. How long did it take us to travel here?"

"Not more than an hour. The W.E.T. is very fast. I'm sorry, Gin, I should have realized. We can start on all of this tomorrow, after…."

But she stopped him. "No, let's get this part done. That will be one less thing hanging over our heads."

He nodded. "All right. Well, you talk, I'll write."

Ginny started naming people that she wanted to invite to the wedding. After a half hour, Ginny felt she had exhausted her list. She watched as Draco attached the list to an owl's leg and sent it off.

By this time, Ginny was dead on her feet, and Draco smiled. "Come on, Ginny, let's get you some sleep."

"No, I'm fine, really. We need to…" But her statement was halted by a yawn. He took her hand. "Come on, I'll show you to your room." He took her hand and led her to the back stairs. They went up two flights and down a long corridor. Finally, Draco stopped and opened a door. "I think this will suffice. Your bags are on the foot chest there."

She walked in and looked around at the elegantly appointed room. "Wow. This is beautiful. I've never seen anything like it."

Draco beamed at her praise. He pointed to a door. That is your bathroom, complete with hot tub." Then he pointed to another door. "That door leads to my room. If you need anything at all, all you have to do is ask."

She turned a smile on him and leaned in to kiss him. "It's very nice, Draco, I've never had better."

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her back. "Ginny, before you sleep, I have one more thing that I want to show you. Let me go get it."

She smile and nodded and looked around the beautifully appointed room.

Draco came back a few minutes later. "I told you I would show you what I had of yours so that I could perform that spell." He held out his hand and showed her a beautiful hair clip. It was intricately woven strands of pewter in an oval shape with a 'G' in the middle. It also had a pewter cross brace to weave through her hair to hold the piece in place.

She took it from his hand and smiled. "I remember this. I lost it a long time ago. It belonged to my great-grandmother. That's who I am named after by the way."

Draco smirked. "I found it the day you got into a fight with Pansy in the Slytherin corridor by Snape's class room. Pansy thought you were flirting with me and she got jealous."

Ginny started laughing. "I remember. I was flirting by the way. I was trying to make Harry jealous. It kind of backfired. My mother almost had a conniption fit that I lost her family heirloom. She'll be so glad to see it again."

He pulled her into a hug and kissed her forehead. "I'm sorry if I caused you one moment of grief, Ginny."

But she frowned and pulled away if only slightly. "Draco, we were all just stupid kids. You know, I'm sensing a growing attraction between us. Do you feel it too, or are you just…."

He didn't let her finish her sentence. "Ginny, I have been attracted to you for some years now. Since before I left Hogwarts. It's the reason I held on to the hair clip. This 'something' between us, at least for my part, is real. How about you?"

"I don't really know if it is real or if it's me getting caught up in the excitement." She pecked his nose. "I'll get it figured out though, and when I do, I'll let you know."

"Fair enough. OK, get ready for bed. If you need anything, you know where I am."

Before long, Ginny was cuddled up in the huge four-poster bed, burrowed deeply in the covers. The late spring rain had left a chill in the air and she cocooned herself for warmth. She listened to the rain splash against the windows for a while, then drifted off to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

She awoke to warm lips on hers. She smiled and stretched then opened her eyes and looked at Draco. "Good morning."

He chuckled. "Good afternoon to you."

She bolted straight up. "Afternoon? Draco, I'm sorry. Why didn't you wake me?"

"Because you needed your sleep. I made you breakfast."

She smirked. "You made?"

He put on a face of mock insult. "Of course, 'I made'. I'm a passable chef."

She put a hand on his cheek and kissed him. "I'm sorry. So what did you bring?"

He grinned. "Get settled, I've got a tray over there." When she did get settled, he placed the tray on her lap. She couldn't help it, she had to laugh. "Cherrio's and toast? You did this all by yourself? I'm so proud of you."

He chuckled. "I really am quite a good cook. I've just been busy this morning seeing to wedding details. But you need to eat. We are going shopping. Who do you want to stand up with you?"

"Oh. Well, you know I've asked Katie, but she's back in the states."

"We'll fly her over. Call her as soon as you get the chance. Any one else?"

She looked at him shyly. "Draco, I have all sorts of friends in the states. I would love for them all to be here, but that's too much."

"Gin, I know that you have no idea about how much money I have. I will fill you in on all of that later. In the meantime, invite who you want to be in your wedding party. I will arrange for first class airfare for all of them. I'm assuming they are Muggles, am I right?"

She nodded her head. "Most of them anyway. Katie is a witch of course. Josh is a warlock. The rest, however, are Muggles."

He smirked. "Warlock, not wizard?"

She shrugged. "Same thing, really, he just thinks that warlock sounds better than wizard, that's all."

Draco nodded with a smirk. I see, so at least one of your friends is kind of nerdy, am I right?"

She put on an affronted look. "I beg your pardon, Josh is not nerdy…." Then she stopped and giggled. "Well, OK, maybe he is, but he is sweet too. No teasing, do you understand?"

He grinned. "Yes ma'am."

As they talked, she finished the cereal. "OK, Draco, I'm going to shower quickly, then we can go shopping. What are we shopping for?" This last she called over her shoulder as she headed into the bathroom.

Wedding dress, bridesmaid's dresses, cake, caterer, decorator. I've got the appointments set up but I need you with me to finish."

She called out through the door. "When's the first appointment?"

He looked at his watch. "Half an hour." He flinched when he said that, expecting an explosion.

"OK, I'll be ready in fifteen minutes. I'm assuming that we can Apparate?"

"Yes, we can. You aren't angry, Ginny?"

She peeked around the door. "No, should I be?"

"Well, it is kind of short notice."

"You know that it's short notice; why should I get upset. We really don't have much choice in all of this, as rushed as it will be. Why should I add to it by getting angry over something so stupid?" She closed the door again and he heard the water start running.

"I think I love you, Genevra Weasley. You're beautiful, sexy and you have a head on your shoulders. I think I'm going to enjoy this."

"I'm sorry, Draco, I didn't hear what you said. The water was running."

"It was nothing. I'm going to go and let you finish. Come get me when you're ready."

"OK."

Draco smiled and made his way to his rooms. He looked at himself in the mirror to check his appearance. The mirror chuckled. "My, my, my, Draco, You're looking happy today."

Draco smiled. "Yeah, I am. I'm getting married."

"Well, it's about time."

"Hey, it takes a while to find the right person."

"And is Miss Weasley, the right person?"

"How'd you know?"

"Hey, the pictures talk, you know. Answer the question."

"Yes, she is the right person. She has been the right person for years. But now, the time is right too."

"Well, congratulations to you both, Draco. I know your father would have beat you to death for marrying a Weasley, so it must be the right thing."

"I know you didn't care much for my father."

"Would you? I'm a mirror and he must have broken me fifty times. All because he couldn't get his way for this, that, or the other thing. You are much more amicable."

"Well, I thank you for that, Mirror. In the meantime, how do I look?"

"Like a man in love."

Draco rolled his eyes. "The clothes, Mirror. How do the clothes look?"

"As sharp as ever."

"Thank you." The conversation was interrupted by a knock of the door. "Come on in, Ginny."

She came in wearing a skirt and blouse, nylons and a simple pair of flat, black pumps. She had her hair swept up in a clip and only sported a bit of blush and lip gloss. "So, what do you think?" She did a slow turn and smiled at him.

"Absolutely beautiful. And the clothes aren't bad either."

She grinned. "I may keep you around, just because of the compliments."

He chuckled. "Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

"All right, we have an Appariation point downstairs. Let's go."

Within minutes, the two of them were standing in the dressmaker's, shop. The matron of the shop approached them. "Ahh, Mr. Malfoy, right on time. Good, good." She turned to Ginny. "Oh my, but you are just darling, it will be a pleasure to help you. Mr. Malfoy, you may browse the tuxedos."

He leaned over and kissed Ginny's cheek. "I think I've been dismissed. I'll see you in a bit."

She giggled at him.

As the matron measured, Ginny watched him wander the shop. She took note of how the sun, shining through the window, glinted off his hair. After a while she heard chuckling and looked at the matron.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

The matron smiled kindly at her. "Oh, you are in love, aren't you?"

Ginny furrowed her brow and looked back over at Draco, who was now staring at her. She smiled softly and felt her heartbeat quicken. She berated herself for falling so quickly. However, the matron didn't need to know any of that. She smiled at her. "Yes, I am. Now, I have an idea about what I want. I would like my dress to be form fitting and strapless, full but not poofy with a built in train and a long sleeve lace overblouse. Then she looked over at Draco and motioned him over.

"Draco, what is your favorite color?"

"Royal blue."

She nodded. "Same style, no train, royal blue lace over jackets for the bridesmaids. I'm going to need five in royal blue, one in silver. I'll have the measurements for you by tomorrow. The same on the dress robes, five with royal blue cummerbunds and bow ties, one set in silver. I'll let Mr. Malfoy tell you when his groomsmen will be here to be measured."

The matron looked amused. "Did Mr. Malfoy not tell you that he has already had his groomsmen in here to be measured?"

She grinned at Draco, but didn't say anything. She turned back to the seamstress. "We'll need them by June third; can you do it?"

"Absolutely. It will be done. I will have your dress ready for fitting tomorrow."

Ginny nodded. "Draco, is there anything left here to do? We have a lot to do yet."

He smirked at her. "No, but I was thinking that one of your brothers would like to be in the wedding party."

"What of a veil, Miss Weasley?"

She thought for a minute. "Hmm, a circlet of Royal blue and silver flowers with a length of lace in the back. No veils for the bridesmaids." Then she looked at Draco and grinned impishly. "He may want his groomsmen to have veils. That's up to him." She flashed a smirk at him.

Draco cracked up. "Yeah, I can see your brother Charlie now."

"You want Charlie to stand with you?"

"Absolutely. In fact, I want to ask him to be best man. Any Weasley that doesn't approve of Potter is OK in my book."

"That reminds me, we need to go to the Burrow and at least tell them all. Whether they like it or not, I could care less."

Draco looked at his watch. "We have to go to the florist after this. In fact we need to be there in about a half an hour. I like the blue and silver by the way."

"Alright, Mr. Malfoy, I already have your measurements."

"Thank you. I will be sending my groomsmen in for a final fitting. Charlie Weasley will be my best man; I'll send him in as soon as possible. I would like black tuxes with vests and cummerbunds in our colors. Charlie gets the silver, the rest, the blue. Ginny's bridesmaids will be coming in from the States. Most of them are Muggle."

Ginny nodded. "Katie Jones is a witch, she gets the silver. The others are Rebecca Wadsworth, Sarah McGillvrey, Nora Bentley, Patty O'Rielly, and Elizabeth Gordon." She looked at her fiancé. "We need to get our attendants a gift."

Madam Lagohair piped in. "We have some lovely necklaces that would make a beautiful gift and will compliment the neckline of the dresses. And for the gentlemen, there are a variety of different pieces."

"I think I will get my friends something they will appreciate more than jewelry. But Ginny, if you want the jewelry, feel free."

She nodded. "Absolutely, I think it's a wonderful idea." She smiled up at Madam Lagohair. "Can you show me?"

The matron showed her several necklaces. She finally picked strands of pearls with a diamond clasp.

Draco came up and put an arm around her. "We have to be at the florist in five minutes."

The Matron handed her two swatches of material. "You'll need these to match the flowers.

She nodded. "Thank you. Alright, Draco, I'm ready."

"The Apparition point is in a room in the back of the store. I'll show you."

Within moments, Draco had transported them to the florist shop.

"Do you have an idea what you want here?"

"I do. What's your favorite flower?"

"Roses, I guess. I've never really been of one opinion or the other."

The man at the counter smiled when they walked in. "Ahh, Mr. Malfoy. How may I help you today?"

"Hello, Daniel, I think on this, I will defer to my fiancé. Ginny?"

She thought for a minute, then smiled. "I need five attendant's bouquets and five groomsmen's boutonnieres, a maid of honor bouquet and a best man's boutonniere; a bridal bouquet and the groom's boutonniere. I also need a corsage for my mother and boutonniere for my father. Draco, is there someone to stand in as parents?"

He nodded. "Professor Snape. He is my godfather."

Ginny nodded. "Another boutonniere. Now, I would like white roses and white orchids. The ribbons and enhancements need to be these colors here." She handed Daniel the swatches. Add whatever greenery and filler you want. They need to be ready by June third."

"Yes, ma'am."

She turned to Draco. "What's next?"

"The caterer; they are expecting us to sample the meals and choose."

"Alright, let's go."

Again, they were off. They walked into the shop and there were different table settings on display. Ginny and Draco wandered around them, each pointing out things that they particularly liked.

A tall, willowy blonde woman greeted them. "Mr. Malfoy, I presume."

At his nod, she harrumphed. Ginny looked outraged at the snooty attitude, and was about to say something, but Draco gently touched her arm and shook his head. She looked at him in question, but decided to hold her tongue. She turned a smile on the woman. "Mr. Malfoy and I would like to pick the table setting and then move on to the menu. If you would show us what you have, I will be able to adjust it to our needs." It was a slight dig, but a dig none the less.

Draco looked at her and rolled his eyes with a smirk.

The woman looked down her nose at Ginny and mumbled something under her breath about peasants.

Ginny only smiled innocently; an action that fooled no one. She had taken an instant dislike to the woman, and the feeling appeared mutual. The woman sneered at her and constantly turned her back, dismissing her to talk exclusively to Draco.

Draco, feeling in the middle, decided that the better part of valor was to defer to his fiancée. "Madam, I am here only for decoration. You must deal with my fiancée."

With a heavy sigh, she turned toward Ginny. "If I must."

That was it. Ginny's face took on the subtle hint of a storm cloud. "Madam Bonée, I am here only because Mr. Malfoy has sung your praises. I was more inclined to patronize your competitor, but out of deference to him I allowed him to choose the caterer. However, I am in no way of the opinion that you can not be replaced. Now, if you can afford to forego the considerable purse that I am certain you will be charging, then by all means, continue to treat me badly. I am holding the purse strings here and the final decision is mine." Ginny raised an eyebrow in question and watched the woman mentally back down. Ginny smiled to herself and stared at her rival.

"Very well, Miss, perhaps you should tell me what you want, and I will enhance it."

"No, I will tell you what I want and you will do it."

The woman scowled and nodded once.

"Good. Now, I like the silver scrolled china. It will go well with our colors of silver and royal blue. I would like a silver tablecloth."

"Might I suggest a lace over cloth in royal blue? That would let the silver show through."

Ginny thought for a moment. "No, I don't think so. As many men as will be at the wedding, I don't want to make them feel like this is some froufrou affair. Plain round silver tablecloths with a square royal blue on top. That way, our colors will be shown and it won't be too girly."

Draco leaned over to her and kissed her on the cheek. He whispered in her ear. "I think I love you." She looked at his smirk and smirked right back.

She leaned into him slightly with a smile on her face. "Now, Madam, I really like the plain flatware; it won't contrast with the scroll work on the dishes. The glasses should be should be crystal rimmed in silver. What do you think, Draco? Water goblets, juice glasses and champagne flutes?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Sounds good to me."

The woman looked at her. "And what of centerpieces?"

Ginny looked at the various tables and found one arrangement that she liked. "That one there, except that it is too tall. People sitting at the table won't be able to talk together. The silver and blue is fine, but I would like you to add a splash of color for contrast. Maybe greenery, and green garland is a must, sprinkled with fairy lights." She closed her eyes, picturing the scene she was creating, then smiled. "Yes, that will do. Now, as to the menu. If you would please lead the way, we will sample your various selections."

The woman turned on her heel and left the two of them to follow. Draco leaned over to her. "You've been holding back. You've done this before."

She looked at him strangely. "Of course I have, Draco. Married before, remember?"

"No, I mean handling matters. You don't let anyone walk all over you."

"Oh, that. Well, with six brothers, I had to learn to hold my own, if I didn't want to loose _me_ in the fray." She smiled at him. "You know, I had to take what ever I could get last time, we were on such a constrained budget. To tell you the truth, I'm having a blast."

He grinned at her, "Then by all means, love, have fun."

The woman escorted them to a table and Draco pulled out Ginny's chair for her, and she sat and smiled up at him. He quickly brushed his lips across her hair, planting a kiss on the top of her head. As he sat, several waiters in white smocks placed four main dishes in front of them.

The first was Chicken Cordon Bleu; the second was grilled salmon with asparagus; the third was individual quiches' with bacon and cheese; the final dish was prime rib. Ginny looked up at Draco. "I don't know where to start. They all look fabulous."

Draco pulled the salmon closer to him and moved his chair closer to Ginny. "One at a time." He cut off a small bite of the fish and held the fork up for Ginny to taste. With a giggle she took the offering and closed her eyes in ecstasy.

One by one they sampled each dish. Ginny was shaking her head. "I can't decide, Draco. What do you think?"

He studied each of the dishes, then nodded. "The chicken, salmon & prime rib. That should be enough of a choice to make everyone happy."

The next offering was the wine. Ginny shook her head. "This is your area. I know nothing about wine."

They sampled the many different wines and Ginny was beginning to feel warm and relaxed. She giggled and pulled the bottle of champagne closer. "I love this."

Draco grinned. "You have good taste. That's £500 a bottle."

She frowned. "Draco, I'm sorry. That's too much."

"Do you like it?"

"Well, yes but…"

"No buts. Madame Bonée, we will need a bottle for each table and four for the wedding party. We'll have an open bar for the duration of the reception."

"Very good, sir."

"What's next, Draco?" She stood up and had to grab on to the table to stop the room from spinning. "Whoa."

Draco looked concerned. "You OK?"

She closed her eyes and nodded. "I think I had a little more of the champagne than I should have. I'll be fine." She took several deep breaths, then smiled at her fiancé. What's next?"

"The cake; then we can go visit your family."

She frowned and grabbed the bottle of champagne. "I'm going to need this."

"It can't be that bad."

"Draco, we are going into the middle of Potter-mania."

He nodded. "Umm." He nodded toward the bottle she held. "Save some of that for me."

They Apparated to the bakery and a large woman came from behind the counter. "Ahh, Mr. Malfoy and…Ginny Weasley, is that you?"

"Mrs. Montgomery? My goodness, I haven't seen you in ages." She turned to Draco. "Mrs. Montgomery is an old friend of my mother's. I believe they were in Hogwarts together."

She was nodding. "Yes, that's right." She hugged Ginny. "Your mother didn't tell me you were getting married."

"Well, um, that's because she doesn't know yet. That's the next stop. In the mean time, we've come to pick out a cake."

Ginny and Draco sampled several different cakes and looked at books to pick a design. All too soon, it was finished and they needed to go to the Burrow. "Are you ready for this, Draco?"

"Well, as ready as I will ever be. Let's do it."

Ginny Apparated them this time and they arrived at the back door. They walked in and she was surprised to find the entire family there; Harry as well.

"Mum?"

Mrs. Weasley hurried out to the kitchen and grabbed her hankie. "Oh my goodness, Genevra. What a wonderful surprise. Why didn't you tell us you were coming? Oh, never mind, you're here." She hugged and kissed her. She hadn't noticed Draco yet.

"Um, mum, you remember Draco Malfoy, don't you?"

Mrs. Weasley looked at him and smiled but looked a bit confused. "Yes, of course; hello Mr. Malfoy."

He shook her hand. "Draco, please, Mrs. Weasley."

"All right then, Draco." She looked back and forth between the two of them. "Now, perhaps you can tell me, what's going on?"

"Mum, we needed to let you know, um, that…." She looked pleadingly at Draco.

"Mrs. Weasley, we are engaged to be married."

She stared dumbfounded at the two of them, then shook her head. "Married? But Ginny, Harry is…."

Ginny looked disgusted. "Mum, don't start that again. I am not interested in anything about…" She looked up just as Harry walked into the room. "…Harry. Do you live here now? Certainly you have a place of your own. This is my…."

Draco squeezed her hand and she looked up at him, then stepped back against him for support.

Draco smirked at him. "Potter."

"Malfoy. If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing here?"

"Well, I figured that I should be here when Ginny announced our engagement."

"Your – you two are getting married?"

Draco smirked again. "Yes, Potter, it appears that Ginny saved the best for last."

Harry's eyes narrowed. "You overgrown…."

Ginny pushed past him and Draco followed her into the family room. "Yes, yes, Potter. Please, do grow up." He didn't have a chance to say any more as Harry was out of earshot.

"Hello, everyone."

"GINNY!" She was hugged by each of her brothers and those sisters-in-law who were present; including Hermione, who was now married to George.

All Harry could do was stand back in shock.

"Everyone, you all know Draco. You are all invited to the wedding, on the third of June."

George frowned. "Why, who's he marrying?"

"Me, dolt."

"Over my dead body."

Charlie grabbed George by the back of the shirt. "Sit down, George. Ginny, I for one, think it's wonderful." He came across the room and kissed her cheek, then shook Draco's hand. "Welcome to the family, Malfoy."

He smiled. "Call me Draco. Charlie, can I talk to you please – alone."

He shrugged. "Sure. Let's go out to the kitchen."

After they left, all hell broke loose. Ginny sat down and let the family yell at her and berate her for marrying Draco Malfoy. She sat quietly and let each of them have their say. After they were done, she smiled, stood up and looked each one of them in the eye, including Harry. "I hope you are all finished berating my fiancé now, because I will not hear another word. I am marrying him on the third of June, with or without you all there. That is completely up to you. End of story."

Harry snorted. "You are NOT marrying Draco Malfoy, Ginny Potter."

She smirked at him. "Wanna bet? And by the way, it's Weasley. I am no longer connected to you in any way, Harry. Get over it. What is this anyway? You didn't want me, but you don't want me to have anyone else either?"

"That's not it and you know it."

"Do I? When we were married, you acted like I didn't exist. Draco has shown me more attention then you did in our whole marriage."

Harry frowned. "Is that what they're calling it now – attention?"

Ginny was outraged. "How dare you!"

"I dare because this is a pitiful attempt to get to me."

"You arrogant – egotistical – cretin. Get out of my face." She spun on her heel and went to the kitchen where Draco was talking to Charlie.

"Good news, Ginny, Charlie has agreed to be my best man."

"Good. Draco, can we leave, please?"

Charlie hugged her. "That bad, huh? I'll handle them. You two go on. You both look dead on your feet anyway. Congratulations to you both."

Draco shook his hand. "Thanks, Charlie. You'll need to get to the tux shop as soon as possible."

"All right." He looked at his sister kindly. "I'll go head off the troops. See you two later."

Draco nodded and Apparated them out of there just as all the brothers and Harry were coming into the kitchen.

They reappeared at the back of Malfoy Manor. Draco immediately put his arms around her. "You OK?"

She sniffed a bit, then nodded. "I'll be OK."

He handed her his hankie and she wiped her eyes and nose. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it. Ginny, I appreciate you more than I can tell you."

"Not at all, Draco. Listen, I'm beat and I drank a little more of that wine than I should have. I think I'm going to bed, if you don't mind."

"No, go ahead." He watched her walk away from him toward the front of the house.

Ginny went to her room and got ready for bed and, before long, was deeply asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Chapter Four

After a while, Draco went to check on her. He gently eased the door open and saw her lying on her side, apparently asleep. He closed the door again and went to his room and got ready for bed, then went out to sit on the balcony overlooking the rose garden. He sat there for a long while until he heard a crash come from Ginny's room.

He jumped up and ran into the room to see a tearful Ginny sitting in the middle of the floor, weeping as if she had the troubles of the world on her shoulders.

With a wave of his wand he vanished the broken pieces of a vase and sat next to her on the floor. He didn't say anything, but put his arm around her and pulled her close.

She cried for a long while then looked at him. "Why do they have to act like that? Every one of them was so sure that Harry and I were going to get back together. It's like they don't care how I feel about all of this. Then there's Harry himself, the idiot; how dare he tell me that I can't marry you. How dare he?"

"Ginny, I don't pretend to know where any of them are coming from, especially Potter. But, I do know one thing. You are a very strong person. You are a person who goes out and gets what she wants and doesn't let anyone stand in her way. But Ginny, I don't want to make you choose between me and your family, and by the reaction tonight, I believe that's what it will end up being. So tell me. Do you want to go through with this? Under the circumstances, I wouldn't blame you if you went home and left me here."

She looked deeply into his eyes for a long moment, caressed his cheek with the palm of her hand and kissed him. The passion flared to life between the two of them like it never had before. Before long, Draco had her lying back on the floor and was kissing her. His hands caressed her sides and hips and they both became lost in the moment.

After a while, Ginny pulled away and looked lovingly into his eyes. "Draco, make love to me."

"Are you sure, Gin?"

She nodded. "Pretend that I am the love of your life."

Draco shook his head. "Can't do it, Red."

She looked crestfallen then nodded and looked away. But Draco, turned her face back to him. "Ginny, I'm not pretending."

"That's OK, Draco, you don't have to."

He chuckled. "No, Gin, you misunderstand me. I don't have to pretend that you are the love of my life, because you are."

She looked disbelieving. "Oh, come on Draco, it's only been a few days. I can't possibly mean that much to you."

He sat up, then stood, then reached down to pull her up as well. "You forget, Ginny, I've been planning this for a long time. I went and tracked you down. Ginny, if I had really just wanted someone to marry me because of the inheritance, I could have married anybody. It was you that I wanted. It's you I still want. And seeing you maneuver through all the wedding plans today…" he shook his head. "…it hit me that I had made the right decision and that I was so thankful to the gods that you went along with all of this." He smiled at her. "Ginny Weasley, I couldn't be happier. You _are_ the love of my life."

He wiped the tears from her face and kissed her, then smirked. "Now, about your request…."

She smiled and put her head on his chest. "Yes – about that. Draco, make love to me."

He scooped her up and carried her to the bed.

He laid her gently down on the bed and stood back a minute with a smile on his face. He reached up to his pajama button and slowly undid it, never taking his eyes off her.

With a smile, Ginny sat up, then kneeled on the bed and pulled her gown over her head.

Draco stopped and stared at her and cleared his throat. His voice was husky when he was finally able to speak. "Ginny – you are absolutely beautiful." He sat on the edge of the bed, shirt half undone, and kissed her passionately. His hand found its way to her breast and he softly caressed her and teased her nipple.

With a soft moan, Ginny closed her eyes momentarily, then looked up at him again. "Hurry, Draco."

Draco slid his bottoms off and quickly shucked his top then crawled in next to her. Without a word he kissed her and reveled in her reaction.

"You are remarkable, Ginny. I just want you to know that."

Her soft smile and the misting of tears in her eyes caused him to pull her in closer to him. He held her and placed kisses on her forehead, her cheeks, her eyes and her lips. He sucked gently on her earlobe and bit down softly.

Ginny's hands traveled up his back and down to his bum to squeeze. "Draco – I want to touch you."

With a moan of anticipation, he adjusted to allow her to explore all she wanted.

Slowly, her hand moved down his chest and she brushed her fingers over his nipples, then bent to kiss them and trace her tongue over them. All the time, her hand traveled lower.

She stopped at his naval and allowed her lips to follow. She stuck her tongue in and this time Draco whispered her name. She then allowed herself to reach her goal and took him into her hand and gently stroked him until he was rock hard.

With an impish grin, she looked up at him briefly, then took him into her mouth.

He attempted to hold back his excitement but what she was doing with her tongue drove him to distraction. Then she looked up at him again. "Come for me, Draco, I want to taste you."

She took him in her mouth again and he groaned loudly. "Ginny – I – I'm …." He could hold back no longer and was shooting into her hot, moist mouth. "Ginny…." His voice came in gasps as if he had just run a marathon. "That was remarkable, fantastic, brilliant, wonderful."

She grinned impishly, kissed the tip of his manhood and lay on top of him. She rested her arms on his shoulders and her chin on her hands and smiled down at him. "Take that!"

Draco started to chuckle. "You're a real imp."

"Absolutely. What're ya gonna do about it?"

He gave a heave and she found herself on her back. "Well, I'm sure I can think of something to pay you back. I never knew you were so naughty, Genevra Weasley."

"Oh, I'm very naughty. You need to keep me in line."

"Umm, I see – well, maybe this…." He leaned down and took her nipple into his mouth. He sucked on her, causing her to moan. Then he bit down gently.

Ginny caught her breath then giggled. "Oh, you're a biter, I see."

He grinned. "If you like it."

She closed her eyes and smiled. "Um, yes, I do. At least, I think I do. Why don't you show me again?"

Draco chuckled, then without another word, began kissing and leaving little nibbles all down her body. Within moments, he had her writhing at his touch. When he nibbled on the inside of her thighs, she automatically spread her legs a bit wider presenting Draco with a wonderful sight.

Never one to refuse an invitation like that, he pressed his lips to her center, gently rubbing the tip of his tongue over that little bundle of nerves which caused her to gasp and wriggle wildly.

With a chuckle, he held her down. "Hold still, Gin."

She giggled again. "Sorry, can't help it. That's wonderful."

With a smirk he said, "Oh, I'm not done with you yet. You see, I can be just as naughty as you are." He again bent and took that bundle into his mouth and sucked hard, causing her to come in wave upon wave of ecstasy. Still, he refused to let her go and nibbled hungrily at her."

It didn't take long, with that kind of attention, for her to come again. "Draco! Oh – Draco. Don't stop, please."

Draco removed his mouth and stuck a finger inside her. "Oh, Gin, you are so wet and hot." He removed his finger and began circling it around that point and watched her closely as the excitement began to build again. "You make me hard, Gin. Just watching you, and listening to your moans, I can barely hold back. I need you, Gin."

"Oh, Draco. I want to feel you inside me. Please…."

Draco raised himself and crawled up her body and plunged himself into her causing her to gasp.

He moved in long, smooth movements and soon they were both close to the edge again. Ginny came again, in wave upon wave, causing her to buck up against him. That movement caused him to follow closely behind her. They kissed and caressed as the mutual feelings they created began to subside. Finely, Draco rolled off her, and gathered her in closely to him. He pulled the blankets up over them and they cuddled. He kissed the top of her head. "Thank you, Ginny."

She smiled. "I think it's me that needs to be thanking you."

"All right, I guess what we have here is a mutual admiration society."

She giggled and settled into his shoulder again. "Do you mind if I tell you something that is probably out of place considering the circumstances?"

"Of course; say anything you like."

"You're better than Harry."

He chuckled. "I've known that all my life. It's nice that you know it, too."

"Stuck on yourself, are you?"

"No, I just have my eyes open to the cold, hard, facts. Um, Gin, just out of curiosity, when you were with Potter, did he – well – never mind."

She smiled against his chest. "Draco, with Harry, like I said, sex was a necessary evil. It was hurry up and get it over with."

"Fool, he was an outright fool."

She yawned and closed her eyes. "Um hum. Draco – I'm – well, thank you. You've made me feel very loved and wanted."

"That's because you are."

Ginny was almost asleep, but she whispered. "I love you too, Draco."

He looked down at her and kissed her head again. "Really, Red?"

"Umm."

He allowed her to settle in and sleep. He, on the other hand, laid back and considered the things that were happening so quickly. He decided that he was ecstatically happy.

They lay there for about a half hour, then Ginny's head suddenly popped up. "Draco!"

"Hum, what? What's wrong?"

She looked at him in amazement and smiled. "I really do."

"Really do – what?"

"Love you. I really do love you."

He smiled and pulled her closer again. "Marry me."

"I thought that was the point."

"It was. But up until this moment, it's been you helping me out. Now, it's you marrying me because you love me. I thought it would be appropriate to ask you again."

"Yes, Draco, I would love to be your wife. Do you think you are going to be able to stand my family?"

He thought for a minute. "Yes – well, maybe all except Ron. I doubt there will be any love lost there on either side."

"I'd like to say that you're wrong, but you're probably not."

"Well, all I can promise is that I will do my best to get along with all of them. And if Potter is around – I guess I can try for your sake."

"Pfffft, he deserves what he gets."

"GOD, I LOVE THIS WOMAN."

Ginny giggled. "AND I LOVE THIS MAN."

They cuddled up again and drifted off to sleep, and their dreams were peaceful and pleasant.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

A/N: OK, to all of you who are reading this story. I am terribly sorry about the confusion in chapter five. I accidently posted the chapter five of the wrong fic! That chapter is for a story that I am working on to post at HexFiles. It's not even finished yet. That just tells me that I should never try to do anything when I have a migraine headache. 

A/N (again): I've been very neglectful in not mentioning my wonderful beta. dracoredeemed cleaned this up for me. I really don't know what I'd do without her.

Chapter Five

In the morning, Draco was being shaken awake by a house elf. "Master Draco, sir. Time it is to be getting up. Youse has appointments."

He groaned. "I'm up. Ginny – love. We have to get to Madam Lagohair's for fittings.

Ginny groaned. "No, want to stay here forever. I love it here. You're warm."

He kissed her. "Come on, love. We only have an hour and I want to shower. You can join me if you want."

She smiled against his chest. "Sounds wonderful, if I ever get up, that is."

He responded by throwing the blankets back leaving her body exposed to his view. "Umm, good enough to eat."

She giggled. "I thought you did that last night."

"So I did, however, once is definitely not enough. Tell you what, you naughty girl, I think we can get up to some fun in the shower."

She jumped up and ran to the bathroom. "Well, what are you waiting for, Draco?"

They were fifteen minutes late for their appointment, but managed to get everything fitted. Ginny contacted Katie and left the arrangements for getting everyone there.

That being done, they visited the wizard that would marry them. He was an old man who reminded Ginny very much of Albus Dumbledore. He had a long, pure white beard that hung down to his waist and a head of hair to match. He was wearing rich royal blue robes speckled with glitter and a tall, pointed wizard's hat to match. His eyes twinkled at the two of them as they came in. "Please, please, come in and sit down. There now children; all settled?"

They nodded and the old wizard smiled. "I am Erautrude. I have been uniting witches and wizards for, oh, many, many years now. I asked you both here today so that I can get to know you a little. I also need to find out what kind of ceremony we are going to do. Let's get that out of the way first. Draco, Ginny, do you want a marriage ceremony or do you want a bonding?"

Ginny looked gobsmacked. "You know, I hadn't even thought about it."

He smiled kindly at her. "Well, just for your information, a wedding is just that – walking down the isle, death do you part, and all of that. A life bonding, however, is all of that with something extra thrown in. You would make an unbreakable vow to each other, that you will love, protect and honor the other for life. Now, there is one other bonding that I have performed as well. This is a blood bonding that would bind the two of you not only for life, but for eternity. I have performed this bonding several times over my career, but more often than not, the couple chooses to perform one of the lesser ceremonies and do the blood bonding at a later date."

Draco looked at Ginny, then back at the old man. "Sir, we haven't discussed this. Can you give us some time to decide what we would like to do?"

"Of course, young one, of course. Here, come follow me and I will let you use one of my rooms for a private conversation." They followed him out and went into what appeared to be a library.

Ginny smiled gently at the old man. "Thank you, we won't be long."

After he left, the two of them looked at each other. "I've never given this a thought, Draco."

"I have. It's pretty common among my family, really. In fact, my parents had a life bonding."

"Were your parents happy? Together, I mean."

"Yeah. Say what you want about my father, one of his very few weaknesses was Mother. He loved her more than his own life." Draco looked a little wistful and Ginny smiled at him gently.

"Draco, I love you. There is no denying that. But we have been together such a short while. The circumstances around our being together are a bit unusual, as well. If I were to be completely serious, we haven't been through any kind of a hard time yet. And believe me, there will be hard times. I don't know a single relationship that hasn't had at least a few. You say that you have been in love with me for a long while, but I think you have been in love with the idea of me. Tell me…" She ran a finger down his cheek. "When you thought about me, did you picture me pliant, giving in to your every whim?"

He looked a bit sheepish. "Well, yeah, I guess. But I'm smart enough to know that you have a mind of your own and that you will be opinionated on some things. Merlin, Ginny, the way you bowled everyone over…" he shook his head, "…gave me a very good picture of what our life will be like.

She smiled. "I'm not opinionated on just some things; try everything, Draco. I am very much like my mother. The next time you go over there, watch my mother carefully. She rules the roost, so to speak."

"What about your dad?"

She smiled. "Dad reserves his opinion until it's important to him. Most of the time he lets mum do things her way."

"Well, I have opinions too. I'm not likely to just roll over and play dead, you know."

"Good. I don't want to be married to a door mat. So, that being said, we are bound to lock horns at times."

"Gin, every relationship has fights or rocky patches. I think we'll survive it."

"But what if you decide that you want out – that this was a mistake?"

"I won't. It's how I was raised. You work problems out; you don't run away from them. I know that's a funny opinion for a Slytherin to take, but marriage is different from everything else. Once I do this, I'm in."

Ginny walked around the room and studied the books in the shelves, or at least appeared to. She was actually thinking about her parents and what they had together. She was also thinking about Harry and how she would feel if they had made any such bond together.

Draco seemed to read her mind. "This is about Potter, isn't it?"

She didn't look at him, but nodded anyway. "What if I had committed to a life bond or a blood bond with him? Where would I be now?"

"Have I not already proven myself different to that giant horse's arse?"

She smiled. "Yes. Yes, you most definitely have, Draco."

"Ginny, I'm not going into this thinking of ways to get out. Are you?"

"No, I'm not. I want this to last forever. I want to be happy; I want to fight like cats and dogs, and make up. I want to be able to express my opinion if I want to, and I want you to feel that you have all the same options." She turned and faced him fully and sighed softly. "I want you to be just as happy and confident in your position in this marriage as I want to be. If I tick you off, I want you to feel comfortable enough to tell me and I can guarantee you that I will. I'm not some delicate princess who will break down at the first sign of a disagreement."

Draco laughed. "Do you realize that that is one of the main reasons that I refused to marry Pansy. She was such a – well to put it in your words – a princess. I don't think I could stand that. Does that answer your question?"

She smiled up into his face and ran her fingers over his lips and allowed him to kiss each one. She then took his hand and kissed his palm. Then she looked into his eyes. "Draco Malfoy, will you marry me for eternity?"

He smiled widely. "I was going for the life bond. I never dreamed – I didn't think that…."

Ginny put her fingers over his lips. "All or nothing, Draco."

He kissed her fingers, then the palm of her hand. "All or nothing, Genevra. Happily, all or nothing."

He took her hand and led her out of the room to where the old wizard sat waiting for them. "Mr. Erautrude, we've decided that we would like a blood bonding."

His eyes widened a bit and then danced merrily. "Excellent, children, excellent. You know that that is a tremendous commitment, do you not?"

Draco looked at Ginny. "We are aware, sir."

"Very well. I will make all the arrangements. Will you be having a large wedding?"

"Yes, it will be very large."

"And do you have someone to stand with you as you make this promise to each other. It is a very intimate moment and should be shared with someone that you both feel close to. Generally, it's a parent."

Draco looked sad. "Both of my parents have passed, but I have my godfather."

Ginny looked at Draco. "I'm not sure my parents will be willing to – they love Harry so."

"We'll talk to them alone, without outside interruptions, OK?"

She nodded.

Draco smiled and looked again at the old wizard. "Mr. Erautrude, we will have it taken care of."

"And when is the happy occasion?"

"The third of June, at 7:30." Draco handed him an invitation that had the Malfoy Manor address. They had decided to get married in the rose garden at the manor and have the reception in the ball room.

After they left Mr. Erautrude's residence, Ginny hugged Draco's arm close and kissed his cheek. "Let's go to the Burrow now and take Mum and Dad out to dinner. We'll be able to talk to them alone that way."

Draco smiled. "Sounds good to me. Ginny, why don't you go to your parents and I'll meet you there in a bit. There is something that I have to do first."

She looked curious. "What?"

He grinned. "Just never you mind. I'll meet you there."

"Oh, very well, Mr. Mysterious." She kissed him passionately. "I'll see you in a bit." She waved her wand and with a 'pop' of magic, she was gone.

She walked into the kitchen where her mother was cooking dinner and smiled. "Hi mum."

"Oh, Ginny, it's good to see you. I need to talk to you."

"Well, it just so happens that Draco and I need to talk to you as well and we want to take you and Dad out to dinner tonight."

"Tonight? Ginny, this is awfully short notice."

"I have a feeling, mum, that everything is going to be short notice for a while. Will you come?"

"Of course, Darling. I'll just finish this for your brothers. Where is Draco?"

"He'll be along. Said he had something to do and that he would meet us here."

Mrs. Weasley turned and looked at her daughter who was staring into a pot and stealing a taste. "Truth be told, I'm glad you're here. We didn't get much of a chance to talk the other day. Darling, you never said you were dating anyone, then you show up unexpectedly with Draco as a fiancé. Are you happy, love? I mean really happy."

Ginny hugged her mother. "Yes, mum, I am very, very happy. Draco is everything to me. To tell you the truth, it kind of takes me by surprise myself, but – well – there you are. These things just happen, I guess."

"And what of Harry, love? We had always hoped that you two would get back together."

Ginny furrowed her brow. "Mum, there is no chance of that. Harry made it very plain to me that I was the furthest thing from his mind. He didn't love me, mum. At least not like a husband should love his wife. Not like you and dad. Don't I deserve to be as happy as you are with him?"

"Of course you do, darling. It's just that – well, Harry seems to be so unhappy. I've tried to talk to him, but he won't. I assumed that he was missing you and didn't want to burden us with the problem."

Ginny shook her head. "It must be something else, mum, he rarely paid me the time of day, especially the last year we were married. I think he felt trapped into something he didn't want." She sighed. "Mum, in a way, I will always love Harry. I have since I was ten years old, but I have come to realize that he is not the love of my life. Draco, however, is."

Mrs. Weasley studied her for a moment, then nodded. "Very well, darling." She turned to the stove again and pulled her wand out to float the dishes to the table. I will go tell your father and we'll dress."

She hugged her mum. "Thanks, mum." She watched her mum leave the kitchen as Draco walked in. "I'm the love of your life, hmm; well, good thing, isn't it?"

"You heard all that?"

"Every bit. Even the bit that you love Harry."

She nodded. "If I were to be truthful with myself, Draco, yeah, I have to admit that. But more like a brother than anything else."

Draco grinned and sat down at the table. She sat next to him and put her head on his shoulder.

"It seems to be brother free here at the moment. Are they going to suddenly come in and kill me?"

"No, it's still a bit early for them."

As they sat there discussing the wedding, Mr. Weasley came in wearing his best robes. Draco stood and shook his hand. "Mr. Weasley, I'm glad that you agreed to come out with us tonight."

"Well, son, it occurs to me that we haven't had a chance to talk, so this will be a good opportunity to do that."

"Yes, sir."

Mrs. Weasley entered the kitchen. "Well then, all ready?"

"Yes. Where are we going, by the way?"

"How does 'The Room' sound?"

Mrs. Weasley's eyes twinkled. "Oh, I've always wanted to try it."

Mr. Weasley nodded. "Very well. We'll Floo there."

Draco nodded. "We'll see you there, then." He took Ginny's arm and Apparated them. Within moments, they were standing at the entrance foyer and Draco was procuring a table. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley arrived and they were all escorted to a private room, off the main dining room.

They were all having a marvelous time getting to know each other. Then Draco reached out and took Ginny's hand. "Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, there was a very important reason we invited you out with us tonight. We wanted to talk to you about the wedding. We have talked about the different options available to us and we have decided to have a blood bonding. Mr. Erautrude, is going to perform the ceremony for us but we really want you to be there to share the moment with us."

Mrs. Weasley looked alarmed. "A blood bonding. Are you two certain? That's a huge step."

"We've talked about it, Mum and Dad, and we've realized that we want to make this commitment to each other."

"Ginny, Draco, forgive me, " said Mr. Weasley. "But this is so new to us. We didn't even know that the two of you were seeing each other. A blood bond is a very serious step and shouldn't be gone into lightly."

They were interrupted by the arrival of Severus Snape. "My apologies for my late arrival, but it could not be helped."

Draco stood and hugged the man. "That's all right Severus, we're glad you could make it."

Severus shook hands with the Weasleys then took a seat. "Now, Draco, what is this all about?"

"Well, Severus, it seems the children are not only getting married but planning a blood bonding as well," Molly put in.

Severus' eyes widened. "A blood bonding? You two love each other that much? That's a huge commitment you know."

"Yes, we love each other that much. We would like for all of you to be there to witness it. Please say you will."

The three adults looked at each other nervously and then came to a unanimous decision. Mrs. Weasley spoke for them. "Yes, alright, we'll be there if you are absolutely certain that this is wise. I know that you are in love with each other, but it is so new that it's hard to see a time when it won't be perfect."

"We've talked about that too, Mum. We are going into this with our eyes opened wide. We're not going into this lightly. The only thing I am really a bit nervous about was the fact that the boys won't understand. They will try to interfere, especially Ron."

"Don't worry about them, dear, we're not going to let them ruin this for you. Now, what kind of help do you need to get ready?"

"Actually, mum, we've got it all under control. Draco is a gem at social gatherings and I've been through this before. We make a good team."

"And who are you going to have stand up with you? I know Hermione would love to."

"No, she wouldn't Mum. She wants me to get back with Harry. Besides, I've got friends coming in to stand with me. They will be here tomorrow."

"Where will they be staying?"

"At the Manor." Draco put in. "We have plenty of room. In fact, Mrs. Weasley, I know that you will want to be with Ginny so why don't you come and stay at the Manor with us."

"Oh, I couldn't, Draco, I've got everyone at home to take care of."

"Mum, they can get by on their own for a while. Please come."

"Well, I would like to."

"Good, it's settled then." Draco smiled. "It will be good to have you there, Mrs. Weasley. I know Ginny was a bit nervous how the family would take all this."

Mr. Weasley nodded. "Yes, we can be an opinionated bunch. But it's only because we love her."

Severus sat back and listened to the conversation. He watched Ginny steadily for a while, then suddenly nodded. "Very well, Draco, I will support you in this as well."

"Thank you, Severus, that means a lot to me."

"You do know that your parents are probably spinning in their graves."

There was stunned silence for a moment, then Draco cleared his throat. "Yes, Severus, I am aware, but that was information that didn't need to be brought up right now."

"On the contrary, Draco, Miss Weasley has the right to know that your family would probably not be happy with this."

"Well, as they are not around, Severus…."

Ginny touched his arm. "It's alright, Draco." She looked at her former professor. "Sir, I am quite aware that Draco's mother and father would not be happy with his choice of a wife. But if they were here, it would be no different. We love each other, we are getting married; live with it, or don't. I don't particularly care. But I will tell you one thing; you will treat me with respect. I will not be talked down to, nor have hints bantered about that I am not a suitable choice for Draco."

Severus' eyes narrowed. Draco looked at him as if to dare him to say anything further.

Finally he nodded at Ginny. "She is full of fire, Draco, I believe that you have finally met your match."

Draco smiled and took her hand again. "That is precisely what I have been saying."

"Then I will see you all at the wedding." He stood, shook hands with everyone and gently kissed Ginny's fingers. "Forgive me, Miss Weasley, but I love Draco as if he were my own. I needed to prove to myself that you are suitable. I wish you all the happiness that you can stand, with just enough sorrow to appreciate the good."

He nodded to the Weasleys and Draco, then left the tiny room for the Apparition point.

Ginny shook her head. "Well, that was odd."

Draco squeezed her hand. "That's just him, love. He does have a strange way of going about things, but he means well."

"I wonder."

"You'll get used to him."

Ginny thought to herself, 'Oh goody' but didn't say anything.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

A/N: For all of you who read the original posting of chapter five and were left scratching your heads in wonder… it's totally my fault. I posted chapter five of the wrong story. The correct one is up now. I hope it doesn't keep you from reading.

The wonderful dracoredeemed did the beta work on this and most of my stories.

Now, I am going to reiterate that this fic is rated M. If this offends you, I wouldn't read any further.

Chapter Six

The following morning, Ginny met her friends at the airport and took them immediately to Madam Lagohair.

The rest of the week was lost in plans. Once her friends had arrived, Ginny rarely saw Draco. He was up to his ears in plans as well. Then, two days before the wedding, Draco decided that enough was enough. He went to Ginny's room and knocked and was relieved to find her alone.

The moment she saw him, she threw herself into his arms and pulling him into the room and kissing him passionately. "Draco, I've missed you so much. Are you sure we can't just elope?"

"And have all this work go to waste? Come on, Ginny, it's only two more days." He locked the door and put up a silencing ward. Then he turned toward Ginny. He leered and slowly moved toward her. "Now, Miss Weasley, I am going to take you to bed. I am going to make love to you. I am going to show you just how cherished you are. By the time I'm finished with you, there will be no doubt in your mind that I love you. I have been thinking about you all week. Just the thought of you naked and writhing beneath me has kept me hard as stone all day long. I'm going to slide myself into your heat. I'm going to move slowly, I'm going to move as deeply as possible. I'm going to make you part of me."

Ginny was staring into his eyes and she swallowed hard at the intensity she saw there.

Draco smiled. "Strip for me, Ginny."

She cleared her throat. "Umm, strip?"

He lay back on the bed and propped himself up on his elbow. The leer hadn't budged.

"Strip. Umm, OK. She reached shaking hands to her blouse and stared straight into his eyes. Slowly, she peeled her clothing off and by the time she'd finished, she was teasing and taunting Draco by fondling her own breasts and tweaking her nipples. She moaned with her eyes half shut. She then traced her hands along her curves and over her hips. Draco's eyes never left her, but followed where ever she led them. She slowly turned and rubbed her hands over her bottom.

"Do you like what you see, Draco? Do you want what I have to offer you?"

Draco groaned his answer.

Ginny slowly approached but stayed just out of arms reach. She traced her fingers slowly down her stomach. Her head was thrown back and she began to breathe heavily. When her fingers slipped lower to her very core, she moaned loudly. "Ahhh, Draco."

Her moan was followed closely by his. "Ginny, watching you do that – I …." He watched as she slipped her fingers into herself. That was all he could take. He jumped up and quickly stripped, then reached for her, but she stepped out of the way.

"Ahh uhh, naughty boy. I'm going to make myself come and you are just going to watch while I do."

"But Ginny…."

She smiled devilishly at him and slipped her fingers over that tiny bundle of nerves and groaned loudly. She moved and pulled herself up onto the bed on all fours. Then she rolled over and spread her legs, with her knees up to give him a perfect view of just exactly what she was doing. Again she ran her fingers along herself. She moved faster then and began to feel the intensity begin to build. "This is all for you, Draco. I am feeling so hot – and oh, this feels so good."

Draco started to move closer but she stopped him. "No, Draco, just watch."

He relaxed again and stared at her with intensity.

It wasn't very much longer before Ginny was screaming his name and writhing her hips. After she rode out her orgasm her eyes met his as he crawled over to her. He took her fingers and licked them. "That was the hottest thing I have ever seen."

She grinned mischievously at him. "Really now? Well, maybe I'll have to do that for you again sometime."

"Maybe, but for now, you are in a perfect position. Don't move. He positioned himself at her center and stuck a finger inside her then began to play again with that button. It wasn't long before he had her screaming his name again.

He smirked as she came down and picked up his wand and whispered, "_Accio _lube." He looked at her with a devilish smile. "You up for something new, love?"

"Absolutely."

"Turn over and pull your knees up under yourself." When she complied she soon felt the lube that Draco was spreading on her and she assumed on himself. "Have you ever been taken from behind, Gin?"

She suddenly got a bit nervous. "N – no."

"Do you trust me?"

"Of course."

"All right, love, just relax. If you want me to stop, all you have to do is tell me."

She nodded, then moaned a little when he started to massage her. Slowly, he inserted one finger and gauged her reaction. "You OK?"

"Better than."

He continued that for a while, then slid in a second. "Gin?"

She answered him by pushing her bum back against his hand. With a chuckle he kissed each rounded globe. Then he inserted a third finger. He stopped at her sharp intake of breath.

"Oh – Draco – please don't stop. That's so nice."

He smiled and for a few more moments, he stretched her a bit more. His left hand was just as intimate, and the double stimulation was almost more than she could handle.

"Ginny, I'm going to take you now. If you need me to stop, let me know."

She nodded, then cringed a bit when she felt him enter her. Slowly, he began to move and plunged deeper and deeper into her. Before long, he couldn't hold back any longer and began to move in earnest. He came hard, groaning incoherently.

He pulled out of her and she tackled him by sitting on him and pinning his shoulders on the bed. She got in his face and growled with pure animal lust. She kissed him passionately all the while rubbing herself against his shaft.

"You, Draco Malfoy, are the sexiest, the most wonderful, the greatest, the kindest, the most loving man in this world. And I am continually amazed that you are all mine." She spread his face with kisses. "I love you, and I can't wait to be Mrs. Draco Malfoy."

"Well, you're going to die unhappy then, bitch, because he's mine. I have a contract."

Ginny dove to the side and Draco jumped up and approached Pansy, angrier than he had ever been. "How did you get into this house?"

Pansy backed up several steps, eyes wide with fear. "Th – that dosen't ma – matter, Draco. According to the law, you're mine."

He smirked. "Guess again. Perhaps you should have your lawyers go over the paperwork. I believe you'll find that…"

Ginny came up behind him and slipped a robe over his shoulders. He slid his arms into place and belted it tight.

"Thank you, love." He turned back to Pansy. "I believe you'll find that my father was a very, very clever man. He didn't want to trap his son into a loveless marriage, so he gave me an out." He sneered at the blonde witch. "GRUNDEL!"

There was a pop of apparition, and the house elf was there. "Master called?"

"Yes, Grundel. First, get her out of here. Second, tell me how she got in here and third, make sure it doesn't happen again." He turned to the fuming witch. "Your family has tried to get their hands on Malfoy assets for years. Your father couldn't do it while dealing with my father and he won't with me, either. Now leave!"

But Ginny spoke up. "Wait. Draco, why don't you go run a tub for us. I would like to talk to Pansy alone."

Draco thought about the request for a moment, then nodded. "All right, love, but if you need me…."

"I'll know right where you are."

"She's turned you into a regular lap dog."

Quicker than any one had expected, Ginny's hand shot out and slapped her. "How dare you come into this house and sully it." She pushed her shoulders time after time until she had her up against the wall. "Be very afraid of me, Parkinson. Get one thing clear. Draco is mine. We will be bonded. You will not now, or ever, show your face here again. You are dismissed."

Pansy's eyes narrowed. "Dismissed? How dare you dismiss me!"

Ginny smirked. "Very easily. This is my home and if you don't vacate the premises, I'll have you arrested. There are laws against breaking and entering. Grundel, you may escort her out now."

Grundel bowed. "Yes, miss." The little elf grabbed a handful of the blouse she was wearing and they disappeared.

Ginny sauntered into the bathroom and Draco smirked at her. He put his arms around her. "I'm sorry about that, love. That was my fault. I had given her a way around the wards when we were together. I guess I forgot to correct that."

Ginny smirked. "Well, it isn't exactly how I would have wanted to confront your ex – with my bare – um – assets in the air like that."

Draco cracked up.

Ginny shook her head. "But, that was bound to happen. To tell you the truth, I was afraid that it would happen at the wedding. I'm glad it happened now rather than later."

"Well, Miss Weasley, you handled her with a practiced flare, and you deserve a reward. Have you ever had somebody wash your hair for you?"

"Well, my mum…."

He tweaked her nose. "Well, your mum never did it like this. Come on."

They both got into the hot tub, and Draco pulled her to sit between his legs. He wet her hair, then looked at her. "What's your favorite scent?"

"Apple."

Draco touched a tube of gel with his wand. "Apple."

He proceeded to wash her hair and massage her scalp"

She sighed deeply. "Oh, Draco, this is nice."

After a long, relaxing scalp massage, he rinsed her hair, then started on her neck and shoulders. "Gin, how did I get so lucky? I never, in my wildest dreams, expected you to go along with this crazy plan at all. But to have you not only go along with it, but fall in love with me as well, it's more than I could ever have hoped for. I am going to spend my time letting you know just exactly how much you mean to me and how grateful I am that you are with me."

She turned in his arms. "Draco, don't you understand? It's me who is grateful to you. You rescued me from drudgery. You showed me that I am desirable. Before you, all I had to go on was, well, Harry's opinion."

Draco shook his head. "Yeah, I still don't get that. All derision aside, I don't know where his head is. While I'm eternally grateful that he is not in your life anymore, I sometimes wonder why."

Ginny shrugged. "I can't say that I'm not happy about that myself. I really don't care _why_. Not anymore anyway. But, can we talk about something else?" She grinned and ran a finger under his chin. "Like, what I'm going to do to this spot right here." She leaned in and kissed the tender skin just below his ear.

Draco groaned quietly under her treatment. "Merlin, I love you, Ginny."

She grinned again. "And I love you. I can't wait to be your wife. I want to have your children. I want to fill this house with all the love that we can."

He ran a finger down her cheek. "I want that as well."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

A/N: Thanks for the comments; they mean a lot. The fantastically wonderful dracoredeemed did the beta work.

Chapter Seven

Two days later, Ginny woke up, lay in bed for a few minutes, then made a mad dash to the bathroom to throw up. Her mother came in just as she was leaning against the door on her way back to her bed.

"Ginny, you look miserable. What's wrong, darling?"

"Oh, mum, I think it's just all the excitement of the wedding today. I feel horrible."

"Well, you have a little time before you have to get ready. Why don't you lie back down and I will get you a little tea and toast to settle your stomach."

She nodded. "Thanks, mum."

She crawled back into bed and moaned. Before too long, Draco knocked on the door and walked in. "Good morning, love, how are you this – Ginny, are you OK?"

She shook her head and had her hand over her mouth as she jumped up and ran to the bathroom again. Draco followed, swallowing hard as he tried to keep down his own bile and help her at the same time.

She rinsed her mouth then walked to Draco and put her head on his shoulder. "I feel awful."

"It's just nerves, I think. I'm feeling it as well. I guess it's to be expected. I mean, we're getting married in a couple of hours."

She nodded. "I guess I am a bit nervous. You are too?"

He nodded. "Here, lie down and I'll rub your stomach."

"No, Draco, mum is coming in a few moments with tea and toast. She's a big stickler for the bride and groom not seeing each other before the wedding."

He sighed. "All right, I'm not going to waste my time arguing. If you need me, you know where I am."

"Love you, Draco."

"I love you, too."

Draco left and within moments, Molly returned and tried to help her daughter through her nerves.

An hour before the wedding, Ginny dragged herself out of bed and got ready, not feeling at all better. When the time came to walk down the aisle, she wasn't sure if she would make it through the ceremony. Her father walked with her and put her on Draco's arm. During the ceremony she barely held it together. She didn't hear one thing of what Eautrude had said. By the time he pronounced them husband and wife, she quickly brushed a kiss on his lips and ran back down the aisle and into the house to the nearest bathroom.

Draco was right there with her. He put a cool rag on the back of her neck and rubbed her back. "Perhaps we should leave the bonding for a later time, love. I need to get you to bed. Perhaps Madam Pomfrey can give you something to get you through the rest of the day."

"No, Draco, we are going to do it now. I'll be fine. I'm not going to mess this up for us."

Draco looked doubtful, but nodded. "What ever you say, sweetheart; I'll follow your lead."

She nodded, took a deep breath, and smiled at him. "There, all better."

They went to a room with Ginny's parents and Severus, along with Eautrude.

Eautrude smiled kindly at Ginny. "Normally I draw this out, but given the circumstances, we'll just do the bonding so you can go lay down before the reception. He handed Draco a small golden dagger. He dragged the knife across his hand and Ginny did the same. They held hands and allowed their blood to mix.

Eautrude waved his wand and a golden cord wrapped itself around their clasped hands and arms and disappeared. He then waved his wand again and the cuts were healed. "May the two of you be happy and blessed with your greatest desires."

Draco shook his hand. "I don't mean to be rude, but I need to get Ginny to bed. She is very ill." He turned to Mrs. Weasley. "Mrs. Weasley, can you please summon Madam Pomfrey?"

She nodded and went to the fireplace as Draco carried Ginny to his rooms. He laid her down. "There you go, love. Can I get you anything?"

Ginny shook her head. "I don't think anything will help, Draco. I am so sorry."

"I feel so helpless. I wish I knew what to do for you."

"I think this may be more than nerves."

Within moments Madam Pomfrey arrived and shooed everyone out, including Draco.

She smiled at Ginny. "Well now, let's see what's going on." She waved her wand and noted several things on a clipboard. Then waved her wand again and repeated the note making. After about fifteen minutes she looked up at Ginny with a broad smile. "Well, Miss Weasley, excuse me, Mrs. Malfoy, you are going to have a child. The nausea is a normal reaction to your body adjusting."

Ginny smiled. "Really? A baby. Oh, Madam Pomfrey, please let Draco come in. I want to share this with him."

"In a moment, child. Right now I want you to take this potion to settle your stomach." She nodded and downed the liquid in the vial and began to feel better almost instantly. When Draco came into the room, she ran and hugged him. "Draco, it's wonderful. We're having a baby."

Draco attempted to say something several times, but was speechless. All he could do was grin and hold her. "Well, when we do something, we really do it, don't we, Gin. Are you alright? Are you feeling better? Maybe you should sit down. Can I get you anything? Oh Merlin, this is fantastic."

She laughed. "Draco, calm down. I'm fine, really. Madam Pomfrey gave me a potion to settle my stomach. Let's get the reception over with; then we can talk. OK?"

"Um, yeah, OK." He thanked Madam Pomfrey, then led Ginny back to the ball room, putting a protective arm around her.

Just before they entered the room, she whispered in his ear. "Draco, let's just keep this for us right now. We'll save the announcement for later, OK."

"Of course, love, what ever you want."

She gave him a quick kiss and a brilliant smile and they entered the reception.

They smiled and danced and did all of the traditional wedding activities. After the third hour, Draco leaned into her. "Hey, you ready to leave?"

She nodded. "More than."

"Good. We'll go out through the rose garden. That way if some one should see us leave, they'll just think we are going for a stroll."

"Sounds good to me."

"This way." He stood and took her hand and led her toward the double doors that led to the garden. He put an arm around her, then led her down one path, then another. As they were drawing close to the garden exit, they heard voices.

"Listen, love, you know as well as I do that they would never understand. We have to keep this a secret. Don't shake your head, you know it's true."

Ginny leaned over and whispered to Draco. "That's Charlie talking." Her brows were furrowed and she pulled away from Draco and went around a hedge row to find her brother Charlie with his arms around someone that she couldn't see.

"Charlie?"

Charlie spun around and looked horror stricken at his sister and her husband. "Um, hi – you two – um." He was trying desperately to hide his companion."

"What's going on, Charlie?"

"Nothing. What's going on with you?"

There was movement behind Charlie, and Draco caught a glimpse of messy dark hair and his eyes widened. "Ahh, Gin, let's go another way. Charlie is obviously…."

But Ginny was already walking forward. She had a teasing grin on her face as she approached her brother. "Well, well, well, Charlie. Who are you hiding back there?"

He swallowed hard and looked at Draco.

Draco nodded once and took Ginny by the elbow. "Come on, Ginny. She looked at her husband and furrowed her brows again. She looked between the two men and shook her head.

"You two are acting awfully strangely. What's going on?"

Draco stopped her moving forward by standing in front of her. "Ginny, believe me, you don't want to go one step further."

She looked at her husband in confusion. "But, why?"

Suddenly, there was a 'pop' of Apparation and the two men seemed to relax. "So, are you two sneaking out?"

Draco smiled. "Yeah, we thought we would get going. We have a little bungalow on Figi waiting for us."

Ginny spun on Draco with a huge smile. "Figi? Really?"

Charlie nodded and kissed his sister on the cheek then shook Draco's hand. "Congratulations you two. Have fun. I'll see you later."

Draco smirked. "Oh, and Charlie – you and your – guest are welcome here anytime."

Charlie gave a half pained smile and nodded. "Um – thanks."

Draco turned to his wife. "Listen love, we really have to go. I had planned on Apparating us there but with – um – new developments, I think it might be safer to take another mode of transportation. What do you think?"

She nodded. "Just to be on the safe side."

Charlie gave them a quizzical look. "What's all this, then?"

Ginny looked at Draco, who nodded, then turned to her brother. "Well, you see Charlie, the reason I was so ill earlier is that…."

Charlie broke into a wide grin. "Merlin – you're going to have a baby, aren't you?"

The two of them smiled and nodded, and Charlie grabbed his sister into a hug then shook Draco's hand. "Congratulations. That's fantastic you two."

Draco smiled even wider. "Thanks, Charlie. Um – a word of advice – tell everyone what's going on. It will be hard at first, but then it will get better."

Charlie studied him. "You think I should?"

"Yeah, I do. I think it would be better for… all concerned… for the truth to be out."

"What are you two talking about?"

Charlie sighed and looked at his sister, then back at Draco, who nodded.

"Gin, I'm – ah – seeing someone."

"Well, Charlie, that much is obvious. Who is it that there is so much secretiveness going on?"

He looked again at Draco, who nodded his encouragement.

Charlie squared his shoulders. "Ginny, I am seeing Harry."

Ginny stood there with her mouth hanging open. She turned and looked at her new husband. "Did you know about this?"

"For about two minutes."

She turned back to Charlie, then looked at the ground. "Well – that explains an awful lot. That explains why he acted like he didn't want to be with me. It also explains why you were all for Harry and I breaking up. Tell me Charlie, was this going on while we were married?"

Charlie shook his head. "Before, yes. During, no. Harry may not have been happy, but he wasn't unfaithful. Ginny – I'm sorry. It's entirely my fault. Harry wanted to tell you – tell everyone, really, but I was too much of a coward. I was the reason your marriage didn't work."

But Ginny was shaking her head. "No, Charlie, it wasn't. Harry is the one who married me, knowing that I wasn't going to make him happy. That was a rather important piece of information that I should have had. You may have told him not to say anything, but he made the final decision to keep quiet. He put me through hell rather than face up to telling me. If you ask me, he was just as much a coward as you were."

She threw her hands in the air. She looked at her brother in disbelief. Then she spun on Draco. "Let's go before I kill something."

"All right, love." He looked at Charlie and whispered. "I'll do what I can." He had to run to catch up to Ginny. He put up a silencing charm around that part of the garden and went up behind her and put his hands on her shoulder.

He kissed her head. "Ginny, I don't know about you, but I, for one, am glad the way things turned out between you and Potter. If it hadn't, I'd probably be married to Pansy right now and absolutely miserable. And to top it all off, I would have to sleep with her to try to produce an heir."

She was leaning against him and giggled as she felt a shudder go through him. She turned to him with a twinkle in her eye. "Oh, come on, Draco, it wouldn't be that bad."

Draco looked disgusted. "OK then, YOU sleep with her, if you're not sickened by the thought."

She frowned. "Now, that's just wrong anyway you look at it." She put her arms around Draco's neck. "Take me away from all this, Draco. Make me forget gay brothers and stupid ex husbands and everything else that isn't you and I."

He grinned. "Now, that, I can do. In fact, our bags are already waiting for us in our honeymoon, beach bungalow. Now, the question remains, how do we get there?"

"Knight Bus?"

"I suppose. You know, when I come back, I'm going to start a transport company, with conveyances that allow you to get from one place to another in style. And they are going to go over water as well."

"Sounds good to me. But in the meantime, the Knight Bus."

Draco walked her out of the garden and down the path that led to the Malfoy gates. Once outside them, he raised his wand hand and the violently purple bus pulled to a stop.

As soon as they got settled, the bus took off again with a loud bang and they found themselves hurtling down an unknown road.

Draco put an arm around her and pulled her close and rubbed soothing circles on her tummy with the palm of his hand.

"How's your stomach feeling, love?"

"I think I'll be fine. I got some more of that potion from Madam Pomfrey before we left. I really don't want to ruin our honeymoon."

"As long as we are together, it is impossible to ruin it."

She nodded and rested her head against his shoulder. "I'm so tired. I think this wedding took more out of me than I expected."

"Well, go to sleep, sweetheart, I'm a big boy. I don't need to be kept company."

She was silent for a while and Draco thought she had fallen asleep. But she giggled.

"What?"

"The look on Charlie's face once he'd realized he'd been found out."

Draco chuckled. "Well, I, for one, wish them both happiness."

"I do too, I guess. I do love them both. Dad and Mum are going to hit the roof though."

"Well, we'll just have to be there to support them. In the meantime, you are supposed to be resting." He smiled at her and kissed her forehead.

She leaned against his shoulder again. "Can't. I'm too excited. I've never been to Figi."

Draco seemed to go into deep thought and smiled. "Well, love, do you think you would like mile after mile of warm sand bordering ocean water so blue that you never knew that color existed; and so clear that you can see to the ocean bed? Do you think you can stand a bungalow that jets out onto the water and the view outside our bedroom window is expansive ocean with the occasional whale and dolphin coming by? For that matter, do you think that you can tolerate a bedroom that three of the walls are completely glass from top to bottom?"

She leaned her head against his shoulder. "It sounds absolutely breathtaking, Draco."

"I had also planned to take you out on a fishing boat to go deep sea fishing. But due to the circumstances, we'll just play that one by ear. I wouldn't want to do anything to disturb little Draco."

She looked up into his eyes. "So, you've decided that this baby is a boy? You won't be too disappointed if she turns out to be a little Ginny, will you."

Draco smiled down at her and had to hastily look away to hide the sudden tearing in his eyes. When he looked back at her she was smiling and rubbing his hand. He leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Gin, I won't be disappointed no matter what the gender of our child is."

Draco pulled her closer and allowed her to cuddle into his side. He was quiet for a long time, then murmured against her red silky hair. "You don't regret any of this, do you Ginny?"

She looked at him and furrowed her brows. "Draco, have I given you any indication that I was anything but ecstatic?"

"No, you haven't. But things are happening so quickly. It can be a bit overwhelming, if not down right alarming, to have so many life changes in such a brief period of time. Me – I've been planning this for sometime now. I have had not only time to get used to the idea of marrying you, but to embrace it as my heart's desire.

"You, on the other hand, have gone from a confused Uni student, divorced and trudging through, trying to put Potter behind you, to being the pregnant wife of Draco Malfoy, in a mere two weeks. I'm not naïve enough to believe that the transition won't come as a shock to you, once you've had the opportunity to relax a minute. And as we are speeding, as we speak, to a place where we will do nothing but relax, I'm wondering if you are going to regret any of this? Ginny, I want you to know, that I will do everything in my considerable power to make sure you are happy, and that you don't feel that it was a mistake to marry me."

She smiled softly at him, then snuggled into him and giggled. "I have news for you, Draco, I've already had my panic attack. I got through it. I hope you can understand this. I already knew my heart's desire. Well, let me rephrase that. I didn't know that it was you. How could I? But I knew that there was something coming that would change my life for the better. I had that figured out before I divorced Harry. In fact, that was the main reason I divorced him. I knew that we would never be happy together and that I wanted – no, deserved, better; as did he. And as far as Uni was concerned, it was there to fill in time until something else happened. And like I told you before, I left England because Harry seemed to be everywhere. Not him personally, but him in spirit. He is in the hearts of the wizarding world. That's one place he would really prefer not to be, mind you.

"Let me ask you. Did you ever wonder why I was so willing to go with you that day you showed up in the library?"

He smirked. "Foolish?"

She slapped his arm. "Prat. No, not foolish, just – knowing, I guess, that something better was just around the corner. When you showed up at that table, my heart not only did a flip-flop, but did an entire gymnastic routine." She hugged his arm closer still. "You could have said – anything; asked anything, and I probably would have left there with you. If that sounds – desperate, I'd have to say, yeah, I was. But I couldn't have hoped to come out of it all as well as I have."

She looked up into his eyes. "Mrs. Draco Malfoy." She shook her head in amazement. "I have to admit, that in my wildest fantasies I never pictured that. You, my love, are an added bonus."

He covered her hand with his and squeezed. "A bonus, hmm? Well, I've been called a lot of things in my life, but never a bonus. I think I kind of like that." He leaned his head back against the seat and closed his eyes. After a moment, he started to chuckle. "I'm still having a hard time picturing your brother as gay. I've only known him a short time, but he seems a man's man. For Merlin's sake, he wrestles with dragons."

Ginny blushed and started to giggle. "Well, I only hope that Harry is more responsive to him than he was to me."

Draco laughed crudely. "Well, maybe after wrestling all those dragons, Charlie needed some tamer sport."

Ginny couldn't help but laugh. "You know, that whole situation makes me feel better. At least it wasn't me that he objected to, as much as any woman." She settled back with a self-satisfied smirk.

"Never you, my love."

They changed transports at Falmouth, and within the hour, were stepping onto the dock in Figi, where Draco had another vehicle waiting for them to take them to their honeymoon cottage.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

A/N: Much thanks and lollipops to dracoredeemed for the beta work.

Chapter Eight

Ginny stood at the window in awe and gazed at the expanse of ocean that the view presented. When Draco joined her after tipping the bellhop, she leaned back against him. "Draco, this is breathtakingly beautiful." She turned in his arms and smiled. "Thank you. This is perfect."

He chucked her chin. "You deserve the best, Ginny."

She kissed him and put her head on his chest and closed her eyes.

"How are you feeling? Is you stomach all right?"

"I'm a little queasy."

"Well, we should probably get something for that before it get's worse."

She nodded and turned to unpack her bags, searching for the potion. She frowned. "Draco, I thought I packed it, but I'm not seeing it."

He thought a minute. "Will you be all right if I Apparated back to speak with her?"

"I'll be fine. I'll just lie down while you're gone."

He kissed her. "I won't be long."

At her nod, he raised his wand and disappeared.

He Apparated into utter and complete chaos.

"What the devil is going on here? Hey – HEY!" Draco put his fingers to his mouth and let loose a whistle that finally got everyone's attention. "Finally. Now, what's going on?" He looked and saw Charlie and Harry in the middle of the sea of redheads.

"You two OK?"

"Yeah, what are you doing here anyway?"

"I had to get something for Ginny. Look everyone, I can't stay long, but I have something to say. If Charlie and Harry have found love, then why aren't you happy for them? You claim to love them individually; why can't you love them together? It doesn't make sense to be angry at them. Mrs. Weasley, would you rather see Charlie married to someone that he doesn't love just to fit into your mold of what should and shouldn't be? Mr. Weasley, I know you love Harry. Why does that have to change? This makes no sense. Ron, is he your best mate or not? Hermione, did you grow up with him or not? Why is today different from yesterday? I have news for you people, they don't need your approval. They are consenting adults. The fact that they chose to share this part of themselves with you should make you feel honored, not disgusted. I have to go, but first…"

He went over to Harry and Charlie and shook both of their hands. "I, at least, congratulate you. I'll see you all later."

He Apparated up to their room and found the potion vial on the bathroom sink. He went down to the Apparation point and within moments, was back in Figi.

"Sorry it took me so long, love."

She smirked. "I was beginning to think that you changed your mind."

"Never that. It seems that Charlie and Harry told the family about them. When I arrived, all sorts of mayhem was going on. I did what I could for them. We'll see what happens. In the meantime, take one of these potion vials. How's your stomach anyway?"

"Sitting up and applauding that you brought it back some medicine." She downed one of the vials and laid it aside on the bed side table. She then crooked a finger at Draco. "Come here."

Draco crawled across the bed with a smile firmly attached. "Anything you say, love."

They made love languidly, reveling in the moments they created. They fell asleep with Draco spooned behind his wife, both facing the open ocean and watching the lights of the ships that passed.

The week was filled with steel drums and beach chairs, and late night dinners on their veranda. They went to dinner shows and dancing. They made love on their veranda and Ginny was beside herself with glee.

On Draco's birthday, she arranged for Charlie and Harry to come to dinner. The four of them had a wonderful time listening to the music drifting on the air to their little bungalow.

At first it was awkward for both Harry and Ginny, but soon they got past the uncomfortable feelings and really enjoyed themselves.

"So, how did it go after I left?"

Harry snorted and looked at Charlie. "It wasn't pretty, but Fred and George finally came around. Bill just shook his head. Percy left. Ron will never come around and Hermione will study it out and eventually decide that if she wants me in her life then she will have to at least tolerate us together."

"Mr. and Mrs Weasley are another story all together. She burst into tears and Mr. Weasley scowled at us for the rest of the night and tried to calm her down."

Charlie chuckled. "By the way, thanks Draco. It was a bit easier after you left."

"So, do you think they will come around or are you in for a long hall?"

"Long hall, I think." Charlie sighed. "You were right, though. I shouldn't be ashamed of Harry.

Harry sighed. "Draco, may I have your permission to talk to Ginny for a moment?"

"I'm not her keeper, Potter. It's up to her."

Harry's gaze left Draco and landed on Ginny. "Gin?"

She shrugged. "Of course, let's go out on the veranda."

The two walked out and leaned on the railing in silence for a while, then Harry cleared his throat. "I think I owe you an apology."

"Ya think?"

"Ginny – I – I – don't even know what to say."

"Start by telling me why you married me?"

"It was expected, I guess. I tried to talk Charlie into telling everyone before our wedding, but – but that's neither here nor there. The fact is that I was too much of a weakling to stand up for what I wanted and as a result I hurt you. For that, I am truly sorry. I hope you can eventually forgive me."

"Harry, I have already forgiven you. If not, you wouldn't be here now. Just be good to Charlie and you can make it up to me. I am extremely happy, believe it or not. Draco is the best thing that has ever happened to me." They were quiet for a while, then Ginny looked over at him. "I'm sure that by now, Charlie has told you that I'm pregnant."

Harry nodded.

"I hope you are as happy as Draco makes me, Harry."

"I'm very happy with Charlie. In fact he has asked me to come to Romania to live with him. We will probably get married there, very quietly. Trying to have a wedding with the mood the family is in right now would only be disastrous."

"I think you're probably right." Again they were silent for a while.

"So, are we OK, Gin?"

"Yeah, we're OK."

"Good, shall we get back to the boys?"

She smiled at that. "Yes, I think we should."

Harry and Charlie stayed for two days, then left for Romania. That left Draco and Ginny to their own devices again.

Immediately after they left, Ginny turned to her husband. "Are you sure you were all right with them being here on our honeymoon, Draco?"

"Well, while it probably isn't in the realm of normalcy, yeah. In fact I had a great time." He snorted. "Who'd have guessed?" He shook his head, then put his arms around her. "How are you feeling, love."

"Wonderful." She snuggled in and hugged him and laid her head on his chest.

They stayed for another week, then returned to the manor to begin their new life.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

A/N: Thanks to dracoredeemed for the beta work.

Chapter Nine

Draco was a doting husband. That was the only word for it. If Ginny in her advanced stages of pregnancy decided that she had to get out of a chair, Draco was there to help her up. If she wanted something strange to eat, Draco went to the kitchens to get if for her. If she needed her back rubbed, he helped with that as well.

And he was driving her insane.

Finally she had had enough. "Draco, I need to talk to you."

He jumped up from the chair he was sitting in and went over to her. "Do you need something, love? He pulled the coffee table closer and put a cushion on it. He picked up a foot and placed it on the pillow.

Ginny sighed. "Draco, sit down. Please."

He did, and pulled her closer to him. She pulled away so that she could look at him. "I love you, Draco. You know that, right?"

He grinned. "Yes, I know. I love you, too."

She smiled gently. "Then I need you to do me a favor."

He tilted his head and furrowed his brows. "Anything; you know that."

She nodded. "Yes, I do. I just need – I need you to give me a little space. It seems that I can't breathe without you stopping whatever you are doing and trying to help me." She lovingly caressed his cheek. "I love to be pampered occasionally, but not constantly. I'm not helpless; I'm pregnant. There's a huge difference."

Draco considered her words for a moment, then nodded. "I'm sorry. I've never been a father before. I've never been around pregnant women either. I was just doing what I thought you expected."

"And I'm tickled pink that you want to help me. Just not all the time – all right?"

"Well, how will I know when you want attention and when you don't?"

She smiled. "I'll ask."

He nodded. "Ahh. Well, I guess Harry was right."

She put a hand to her heart. "Draco Malfoy admitting that Harry Potter was right about something? The world is going to end. Just out of curiosity, what was Harry right about?"

"He told me that you wouldn't want me hovering around like an over-grown blond bat."

She laughed and nodded. "Yes, that sounds like Harry. Good advice wrapped in an insult."

He smirked. "All right, I'll back off. But you have to promise me that you will ask if you need something you can't get. I don't want to feel completely useless, you know."

Ginny raised her right hand. "I, Ginny Malfoy, promise to ask for help when I need it. Is that satisfactory?"

He kissed her. "Yes. Oh, by the way, I invited Charlie and Harry over for Saturday night. Harry seems to think that he can talk Charlie into leaving his dragons for an evening. I thought maybe we could play cards or something." She was smiling at him. "What?"

"You. I'm glad that you and Harry got past the hatred."

He shrugged. "It's not so much him as it is your brother. He misses the family. I thought that at least he can come here and be with his baby sister."

She tilted her head and stared at him. She didn't say a word. Just stared.

He rolled his eyes. "What?"

"I didn't say a word."

Draco mumbled under his breath. "You don't have to say anything. I can read you like a book."

She giggled. "What was that, Draco?"

He sighed. "All right. Maybe Potter isn't that bad. Maybe!"

"And…?"

Now he just looked disgusted. "…and, OK, maybe I actually enjoy spending time with him. Are you happy now, you nagging wench?"

She giggled and kissed him. "Very happy."

That Saturday night, Harry and Charlie came over and they all spent the evening having a wonderful time. Ginny had set some board games and decks of cards out and they played deep into the night.

About two in the morning, Ginny looked at the three men, wondering how on earth she was going to say what she had to say without causing a general panic. She looked at her husband. "Draco."

He smiled and turned his conversation from their two guests. "Yes, love?"

"Do you remember when I told you that I would let you know if I needed something that I couldn't get for myself?"

"Of course. Are you chilly? Do you need a jumper?"

"Not exactly." She closed her eyes and gently laid her hand on extended abdomen.

"Well, what can I do?"

It was Charlie and Harry that jumped up immediately. They ran around the table and helped her stand up.

As she did, her water broke and she gasped at the sudden shock of pain that hit her.

Draco went pale. "Ginny, are you having the baby?"

She nodded as another pain shot through her.

Charlie and Draco panicked. Draco ran off to places unknown, Charlie paced the room quickly. "OK, OK, first boil water – no, not water – um – what – what do I do?

Harry shook his head and squeezed Charlie's hand. "Call your mother, love."

"Yes – excellent idea – call Mother. Where's the Floo?"

Harry nodded slowly, leading Charlie along paths that would keep him busy. "In the st…."

"The study!" Then he laughed like he had answered the question of the century.

Harry looked at Ginny and rolled his eyes. Then they went back to his partner. "Then, Charlie, I want you to find Draco. I'm certain that he is doing something of infinite importance at the moment. I want you two to stay in the study and have a brandy. Do you hear me, Charlie? It's very important that you stay there and have a drink."

"Yes, yes. But not brandy."

"All right, not brandy. Scotch then. Draco has the good stuff. You know how you like his stash."

He smiled. "He does, doesn't he?" Then he frowned. "But what about Gin…?"

"Ginny will be perfectly fine. Her Healer will be here shortly. Go on now, love."

Harry and Ginny watched Charlie run out of the room and turn the wrong way to get to the study. Ginny giggled. "You handled him with practiced flair, Harry."

Harry chuckled. "He gets the same way when an egg is about to hatch. I can't tell you how many times we've been through this. Come on, sweetie, let's get you upstairs and I'll call your Healer."

She nodded. "Oh, but I want Draco there."

Harry chuckled. "Are you sure? He seems rather a basket case right now."

She smiled and let Harry lead her out the door and up the stairs. "Yes, well, he is about to be a father. I would like to have him there to yell at." She giggled, stopped walking and gasped and squeezed Harry's bicep. "Is it too late to stop this?"

Harry snorted. "Um – yeah – I would say so, Gin." He swung her up into his arms. "You'll have to tell me where your room is."

"Up – uunggh – up the stairs to the right." She gasped again, swallowed hard against the tears that threatened, and buried her head in Harry's shoulder.

With Ginny's directions, he found the bedroom and laid her gently on the bed. He went and got a cloth and transfigured a glass into a basin and filled it with cold water.

"When your mum gets here, you'll be in good hands."

She smiled at him through tears. "I'm in good hands already."

Harry talked her through several hard contractions, but kept glancing at the door wondering where Mrs. Weasley was. Even Draco or Charlie would have been an improvement. Even though he was keeping his head, he had no idea what to do. He was just doing what he had always done. He couldn't allow panic to set in until after the disaster was over.

He dipped the cloth into the basin of water, wrung it out and bathed Ginny's face with it. "How are you holding up, love?"

"I'm going to kill him, Harry! Where is he anyway?"

"In Draco's defense, he is probably doing something that he, in his muddled brain, thinks is life or death right now. Try not to be too mad at him."

"Then where is Healer Thompson?"

Harry looked sheepish. "Oh! Well, that would be a good idea to check on him, wouldn't it?"

She frowned at him. "Don't you lose it on me, Harry. I need you right now."

He took a deep breath and swallowed hard. "I'll just go Floo the Healer, shall I?" He headed for the door just as another contraction hit Ginny. "Uuuuggghh. Don't you dare leave this room, Potter."

"But the Healer."

Ginny gasped again. "Nippsie!"

The house-elf appeared almost immediately.

Harry shook himself and smiled at the creature. "Nippsy, please contact Healer Thompson and tell him to come right away."

She bobbed up and down. "Nippsy will do right away, Mr. Potter."

Harry went back to the bed. Ginny had her head thrown back. "Harry, I have to push."

"Ginny, you can't do that. The Healer isn't here yet."

Her face went red as she followed along the wave of the pushing contraction. Once it was over, she shook her head. "You try to stop it, you idiot."

Another contraction hit and she began to push again. "Ha – Harry, clothes."

He shook his head. "I'm sorry, Gin, what?"

"He – help me." She tried to sit up and fell back among the pillows. "Take – clothes – off."

Harry's eyebrows furrowed. "But why should I get undressed?"

Ginny looked at him with disgust. "Not you, you idiot, me."

Dawning hit. "Oh! Sorry, Gin." He used a disrobing spell then went to the linen closet and got a sheet out to cover her with.

Another pushing contraction hit and, try as she might, she could not hold back. "Harry, help me, please."

Harry took a deep breath and realized that the Healer was not going to get there on time. He nodded once to himself and promised himself that he would allow a panic attack after all of this was over.

"Hang on, Ginny. I want to get a towel for her."

He spread the towel out on the bed then looked at Ginny. "All right, love, lift your legs up and lets take a look."

She nodded and allowed Harry to help her move. The baby's head was partially out and he looked up at his ex-wife and smiled. "Almost there, sweetie. One or two more pushes should do it."

Another contraction hit and she pushed as hard as she could. That was when the door reverberated against the wall. Harry looked up at Draco. "Thank Merlin, where the hell have you been? Never mind. Help me!"

Draco ran over. "Wh – what do I do?"

Harry put the towel in his arms. "Hold this. When the baby comes out, you'll need to wrap her up."

Draco swallowed hard and nodded.

Harry smiled at Ginny. "Do you have one more push left in you, Gin?"

She was panting, but nodded. When the contraction hit she pushed again. Once the baby's shoulders were out, she seemed to just slip the rest of the way.

"Ha – Harry, you have to seal off the cord and cut it."

He used his wand to accomplish that task and handed the baby to Draco. "Get her to cry, Draco."

"What?"

"She needs to cry. Make her take a breath."

"How do I do that?"

Harry lifted up her legs and slapped her bum causing the baby to gasp. A wail rent the air and Harry smiled. That is, until he looked into the fuming eyes of Draco Malfoy.

"You struck my child. If I weren't holding her, I'd…."

Ginny started laughing. "Draco, he had to do that to make her breathe. Let me see her please."

With a last scowl at Potter, he went and sat next to Ginny. Harry removed the after birth and cleaned the bed before leaving the family to themselves. He went to find Charlie.

Charlie was in the study pacing back and forth and drinking himself into a stupor.

Harry chuckled and took the drink from him, then kissed him. "Well, Uncle Charlie, did you contact your mum?"

"There wasn't anyone home."

"Ahh, well, your sister had a girl, and I could sure use some of this." He downed the scotch that was in the glass and went to pour some more.

"The Healer never got here, Harry. We probably shouldn't leave her alone."

"Draco's with her. The baby appears to be fine. I'm lucky I got out of there with my life though. Draco was going to kill me for spanking the baby."

"You spanked the baby?"

"Yeah, to get her to breathe. In any case, I sent Nippsy to get the Healer. But they never came back."

At that moment, the house-elf reappeared, wringing her hands. "Oh, Mr. Harry Potter, the Healer will be here soon. He was busy with another."

Harry smiled. "Thank you, Nippsy. Don't worry. All is well."

After the elf left again, Charlie put his drink down. "I want to see my niece."

Harry nodded and they went back upstairs. Harry knocked at the door and opened it a crack to peek in. Ginny smiled and motioned him in. "Harry, Charlie, come in and meet Hattie Gemma Malfoy."

They both smiled and entered into the room. Harry looked at Draco. "You still gonna deck me?"

"Yes, just on principle." Then he laughed. "Well, maybe not. Thanks. If you hadn't kept your head…."

"I have news for you; I'm going home to have a panic attack." He laughed.

They sat there for a few minutes talking and passing the baby back and forth when the Healer was led into the room.

"I am so sorry, Ginny. I was delivering another baby and couldn't get here. Let's take a look, shall we?"

Charlie stood up and pulled Harry up with him. "That is our cue to leave. We'll see you two, er, you three later."


	10. Chapter 10

The Subtlety of Life Changing Events

2

A/N: dracoredeemed did the beta work. She is a gem.

Epilogue

Four years later, the houses of Draco and Ginny Malfoy and Charlie and Harry Potter-Weasley rang with the laughter of five little voices.

Draco and Ginny had two more children; Aubrey Joy and Draco Lucius II. They were joined by the adopted children of Harry and Charlie. Harmony Rae, three years old, and Charlene Molly at two, were rambunctious and gave their Malfoy cousins a run for their money.

Draco and Ginny had asked Harry to be godfather to Hattie whose favorite person in the world was 'Uncle Harry'. She insisted that since her name sounded like her godfather's, that she was going to be called 'Harry' and there was no swaying her in any other direction.

The Weasley family, with the exception of Ginny, never reconciled themselves to Charlie and Harry's relationship. It was a point that Harry spoke of often to Draco. He hurt for Charlie. He hated that he was the cause of the estrangement.

Draco would just shake his head. "Harry, some people will never accept a situation that they are not comfortable with. What is important is that you love Charlie and he loves you. That is not going to go away."

Charlie leaned over the chair Harry was sitting in and kissed his cheek. "He's right, love."

Harry jumped. "Charlie, I didn't know you were standing there."

Draco stood and looked at the two of them. "Don't let anyone try to dictate the way you should live your lives." He left them sitting there and went in search of Ginny.

He found her behind the Manor at the back of the rose garden, watching the five children playing.

He went up behind her. "It's been four years since you decided to take in a stray…" He squeezed her and rested his chin on her shoulder. "…Are you happy?"

"More than you can possibly know."

A/N: Thanks to everyone for reading. To those of you who took time out of your busy day to review, I appreciate your time. Reviews fuel the soul.


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